


Separate Ways, Worlds Apart

by Saudade_Sehnsucht



Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Masturbation, Multi, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Rough Sex, Sex, Shower Sex, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 10:36:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 74,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9890510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saudade_Sehnsucht/pseuds/Saudade_Sehnsucht
Summary: Pragmatic, charismatic, ruthless- Negan is a force to be reckoned with and no one stands in his way.Intelligent, brash, fierce- Kate is a leader in her own right who commands the loyalty of her people.Lives collide when these two meet their match.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've always been very interested in what would happen if Negan met someone who can go toe to toe with him, a women who in some ways may be his equal. Does he respect her? Dominate her? Both?
> 
> To do justice to the character and her world, the first two chapters are devoted primarily to this other world. But I promise, Negan will appear shortly. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

 

Kate had often thought about how the world would end and what she would do in that day, how she would survive. Maybe it was a morbid pastime but she enjoyed it. Long ago she decided that a college campus would be the best place to go.  They already operated like small towns. They had a lot of roads leading to them. Quads would be perfect for growing crops. They had a lot of equipment and books at them. Defensibility was an issue until you got a fence but that would be a problem anywhere. When it all went to shit, that is where she would go. It’s the perfect place to rebuild society really.

Kate always figured that when the world ended it would be something like a nuclear disaster, global warming, a super volcano, a freak disease that kills a lot of people quickly. She did not expect the dead to rise, hungry for human flesh, impervious to pain, and killed only by damaging the brain. However, an apocalypse was an apocalypse. The details did not matter. And so when everything did go to shit, she rounded up her family and went to the college nearby. 

There were other survivors of course. Those with similar views, college students who were smart enough to know that they would not succeed if they tried to find their way back to their out of state families, professors and their families, those drawn to the group, to the safety in numbers. And somehow, despite her relatively young age and likely because she had a plan, Kate found herself in charge of this growing group of survivors.  
  
Kate didn’t want to be a leader, per se, but she counted it as an inevitability. Very few people in life truly have the desire or ability to be a leader, to make the hard decision, to make people unhappy and to make enemies. She had seen it before- student council in high school, group projects, the few jobs she had had- when you have ideas you get put in charge of their execution. This phenomenon was only magnified in the face of obscene chaos, where being the rational “man with a plan” ensured that people looked up to you. Kate was very good at delegating tasks to others making her life marginally easier, but she found it rather exhausting. But, in her mind, it was a small price to pay to seeing that things were done her way, the right way.  
  
So when the world ended, under Kate’s direction, they organized, the fortified, they survived. Hastily dug pits and spikes with barb wire bought them enough time to put up a chain link fence from a home and garden store which allowed them the luxury of being able to construct concrete walls wide enough to patrol. Many questioned the need for multiple layers of protection, the need for large and sturdy walls, when less complex devices kept the hoards the undead at bay and manageable. It was a valid question. Too many times Kate had listened to the cries and outrage of the loved ones whose parents, children, wives, and husbands had died on supply runs. Death and loss were an inevitability in this world, a concept that Kate wished more of her followers would embrace. That isn’t to say she was unaffected. Kate mourned when her father was bitten and could not be saved by amputation. She grieved when her grandfather passed in the night and attacked and killed her grandmother before they knew that all who died returned. She felt the loss when disease ravaged the young and the old and parents watched their babies turn. She mourned the pointless.  
  
Dying for the greater good was admirable to her, saintly even. Dying in pursuit of worthy goals was to be lauded. Violence to prove a point, a means to an end, a show of power; these were things required by this world. And so when asked about the seemingly needless death of those helping to build the wall, to provide for the community, Kate would respond,  
  
“In this world there is Life and there is Death. To not do anything and everything within your power to protect your life means embracing death. The dead are not our only enemies and one day we will encounter an enemy far more clever than the dead. And we will be prepared then.”  
  
And she was right.  
  
Mostly.  



	2. I Met Him on a Sunday

 “Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg"

Kate hated that FUCKING alarm clock. Smacking it off her nightstand gave her a sick sense of pleasure every morning. Fumbling for her glasses she blearily rubbed gunk out of her eyes

 _Fucking eye allergies._ Not for the first time she thought longingly of the days of medicated eye drops. _Jesus, I'm boring myself with my own thoughts._ She stifled a yawn that turned into a chuckle. Unfortunately, using resources to stop the plague of minor eye irritation was not a priority in the labs of Haven.  
  
Kate did not like the name “Haven.” She thought it sounded cheesy and cliché and she was not the one who came up with it. Honestly, no one remembered anymore who did, just that someone had commented that this was their “little slice of Heaven” and it evolved from there. Whatever, it made the people happy.

As much as Kate hated waking up in the morning, she appreciated the stillness it held. The world outside the walls had become quiet but it was not still. The world outside her doors was downright noisy. Life was noisy, death was quiet. Mere existence was stillness. Kate did not live in the dorms among the residents of Haven. She maintained a set of rooms in what was once the science building administrative offices. A front office was now her conference room. The attached department head office actually had a private bathroom in it, a throwback to the 1960’s when the building was constructed and department heads were supposed to be inaccessible, and doubled as a closet. A door in the conference room connected to what once had been a student lounge, kitchenette, and small library. That was her “apartment.” She enjoyed living apart because she enjoyed the peace and quiet. But it had the added benefit of making her seem a bit mysterious and removed.

Kate quietly padded across the bedroom to go to the bathroom, that heavy feeling hanging on her bladder. She found having a morning pee to be a very relaxing activity. Looking at her schedule- today was a gardening day- she opted for worn out leggings and a t-shirt to complement her ever-present black leather boots and knives.

Kate found it useful spend an hour or two a day working with the people in different departments. It made them feel important, wanted, and listened to. Nothing quite had the ability to make people feel connected to their leader than knowing that sometimes they cooked your food and cleaned a toilet. 

A muffled knock on the outer door signaled the end of silence, the beginning of the day, and breakfast.  
  
Kate sighed. _Gird your loins, everyone!_ “Enter!”  
  
Brenda, an older woman in charge of the kitchens, came into the room pushing a cart of breakfast foods, followed closely behind by six younger women.  
  
“Good morning my lovely bitches!” Kate chirped happily.  
  
The eye roll from the tallest, Libby was so heavy you could almost feel it “Good morning, Kate. Feelings chipper are we?”  
  
“You know I hate when you call us that. Why can’t you call us by our name?” the shortest said, with just the hint of hostility.  
  
“Come off it Gill,” interrupted Lyssa, brushing back her hair behind her ears. With a yawn, she scratched the shaved part of her head. “You know as well as I do that she only gave us the name ‘Valkyries’ because she thought it sounded cool.”

“I never said I didn’t have a flair for the dramatic,” Kate said biting into a slice of bread with honey slathered on it. “Besides, it’s not about sounding ‘cool.’ It’s about creating a presence. This is Haven and it is protected by the Valkyries and the Archangels. It sounds impressive.”  
  
“You probably should have come up with a more impressive name for yourself then.” the slight blonde, Eliza, said with a smile. Her face scrunched up in mock horror. “All bow down in fear of our glorious leader, KATE.”  
  
“Fuck of Eliza. I prefer seeming mundane until people get to know me.”  
  
“And you can be scary…” Phoebe said quietly.  
  
“Sister, like you could ever do anything that would make her angry.” Lyssa gave Phoebe a sideways glance.  
  
“If you ladies are done, can we get started?” The eldest, Tamra, slid into a chair. “Ellie kept me up last night, it’s 8 am, and I already feel like I am running on empty.” She sighed, “God, I miss coffee…”

Kate always felt very fortunate that if the apocalypse had to happen, it did while she was visiting her extended family on vacation. Family members were truly the only people Kate trusted in the world now. Her sisters, Gill and Libby, and her cousins, sisters Lyssa and Phoebe, Eliza, and Tamra, made up the leadership of the Valkyries, the primary defensive and organizational force within Haven.

"Tamra, you could have sent a message with your status report." Kate frowned slightly.

"And miss this daily display? Not likely. It reminds me of the old times." Tamra's eyes crinkled at some pleasant memory and then snapped back into focus. "Anyways, we are running out of paper at the school and I have put in a request for the scavengers. We did a census of our preschool and we have 35 kids ages 3-5, so we are going to need another teacher."

"Noted. Check and see if any if the newcomers want to help. Anything else?"

Tamra took a sip of her tea. "I have you scheduled to read to them at story time tomorrow. Yurtle the Turtle." She said with a smirk.

"You have got to be shitting me.." Kate gave her an incredulous look. "Really?"

"I thought you would appreciate the irony. Teaching children to question authoritarian government systems."

"I would necessarily call what we have going on here totally authoritarian... But yes... I think it is hilarious." She said with an eye roll. Kate interrupted the tittering of her family members. "Phoebe, anything new to report?"

"We really are going to need more wire eventually. It might be worthwhile to think about what it would take to strip houses if the wiring in the walls. Oh! And yesterday scavenging managed to find some old radio equipment in a forestry service stand up in the mountains. We might be able to get them operational. If we do we might be able to communicate with teams 50 or more miles away."

Kate let out a low whistle. "That needs to be your priority. That could be some revolutionary shit right there"

At the word "shit" Gill, short for Gilligan, twitched and Kate noticed. The Valkyries, in addition to being to being her seconds in command and protectors of Haven, were also law enforcement. Gill was in charge of the police aspects of the job- a position Kate knew she would excel at when she appointed her- because she had a pesky sense of morality and acted like she was everyone's conscience. Turning to Gill, Kate asked, "Any update on who has been breaking into storage and stealing supplies?"

"We set up a stake out the other night since we knew someone was picking the locks. It was a 14-year-old kid."

"Hmmm....motivations?"

"She has a few younger siblings. Dad works in maintenance and mom has chronic health issues and worked housekeeping up until a few months ago. Shortly thereafter Dad left to be with one of the women from that Tennessee nomads group. Things are tight, the family is growing hungry. Very clear cut case of someone doing the wrong thing for the right reason."

Kate liked when things were simple. "Okay. I will add her to the punishment roster and take that into account. I'm going to want to talk to her later.”

Gill nodded in agreement.

"Eliza, what's new in medical?"

"We have three people in quarantine for the mumps but that's about it. I think I can make vaccines if I have the right equipment."

"Kinda like how we did with the insulin for the diabetics?"

Eliza nodded.

"Good, we lost too many babies this winter from it." One of the best-kept secrets of Haven was known only among the Valkyries. Several months ago, Eliza had recreated old technology to synthesize insulin for the diabetics they had among the survivors. Not that any of them knew and if Kate had her way none of them would. Let them think they were incredibly lucky with their salvaging. They didn’t need to know it was coming from animal urine. And there were quite a few as survivors of nursing homes and assisted living facilities had joined their ranks.  
  
“Libby, what is our supply situation like?”  
  
Libby looked at Kate over her glasses. “Honestly, there is really nothing to report here. Someone found a whole Mary Kay sales box in the trunk of a car over the weekend and so we need to figure out what credits to assign to the stuff before it is put into commissary…”  
  
Lyssa interrupted her. “Actually, to add to this, we did have three people come in very late last night and they are waiting to be interviewed, examined, and given credits.” Lyssa was in charge of protection of the wall. “They claimed to be from a larger group that was attacked by walkers. And it looked like they were telling the truth when the Archangels stumbled on them. The two we kept were injured. Easton went back out with the third to look for the rest of their group. That was around….” Lyssa checked her watch. “…five hours ago.

  
Eliza's younger brother Easton was in charge of the Archangels. The Archangels were the offensive protecting force that operated primarily outside of the wall. They found survivors, smaller communities, and groups that needed protection and brought them in. They performed scouting and scavenging duties, clearing out homes and buildings for teams of gatherers to pick through.  
  
Kate’s forehead creased in concern. “Shouldn’t they have been back by now?”  
  
“I’m not so certain of that, Kate.” Lyssa’s eyes widened a bit. “They claimed to have come from the east by Mountain Top Road.”  
  
There was a collective murmur from the group. “From the road that has been blocked by a landslide since the beginning? When’s the last time we made sure that road was secure?”  
  
“I asked Easton the same thing and he said that as of a month and a half ago it was still blocked. It is 15 miles away though and we can’t check it that often.”  
  
Kate frowned. “If they aren’t back by this evening, we are going to have to send out a search team tomorrow.”  
  
“I know. I will keep you updated.”  
  
“Is there anything else we need to go over?” Kate said, clearing her throat. Everyone shook their head no. “Everyone is dismissed. Lyssa, Gill, which one of you is on my personal security detail today?”  
  
“I am,” Gill said.  
  
“Great! Now, wait outside. I have to take a shit.”  
  
Gill gave a disgusted “harrumph” and stormed out the door.  
  
Libby looked at Kate. “Why do you antagonize her?”  
  
Kate gave her a grin “Because it is fun. And you guys are the only people I can be myself with.”  
  
“Hmmm…” Libby stared at Kate. “Whatever.” She began to leave.

  
“Lib?” She stopped and turned toward Kate. “Find out who that man was who abandoned his children. Have his credits docked 50 a week and put into his wife’s account.”  
  
Lib smiled, nodded, and left. 

* * *

 

Kate HATED the sun. She was blonde, blue-eyed, and very pale. _I'm basically a fucking melanoma waiting to happen_ she thought as she dug into the dirt with a trowel. She could feel the sweat collecting on the goofy fucking gardening hat she wore on these days. Gill stood next to her, smirking at Kate's obvious discomfort.

Suddenly Gill turned very pale and looked very frightened.

"Who does a guy have to blow to meet a goddamn person in a fucking position of authority around here?"

Kate jumped and whirled around, ripping that stupid hat off.

A large group of men and women had appeared in the middle of the compound. They had Easton with them, two other Archangels, and three strangers. All knelt on the ground and had a knife to their throats. In the middle of the group was a man.

He was tall. Kate was five foot, six inches. He was at least a foot taller. Slicked back, gray-streaked black hair and a salt and pepper beard framed his face and a very amused grin.

_Amused?_

Dark jeans were tucked into black leather boots and a black leather motorcycle jacket, leather gloved and bright red scarf completed the ensemble.

_Isn't this guy hot in all those clothes?_

However, the most disturbing thing about this man was the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire that was slung over his shoulder.

"Now, I _know_ that I am pretty, people." He flashed a stunning smile. As quickly as it appeared, it left, given way to a cold, hard expression. "But I asked you fuckers a goddamn question! WHO is in charge around here?”  
  
Kate was irritated at this point. “I am asshole. And who do you think you are, fucking storming my goddamn castle like you own this fucking place?” There was be HELL to pay for whoever let this group in.  
  
An odd mixture of emotions moved across the man’s face- shock, amusement, disappointment? and anger. “My name is Negan, this _beauty_ is Lucille and she….is… _awesome_!” He smiled shaking the baseball bat. “You sorry shits stole from me and I’m going to take half your shit. But first…first, someone is going to die.”  
  
And he swung the bat over his shoulder.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? I promised that Negan wasn't very far off. Thanks for reading!


	3. Don't Fear the Reaper

 

Negan groaned as a persistent and urgent knocking awakened him from a deep slumber. _It's not even light out yet, what the fuck?_ And why was Josie still here in bed with him? _Well...probably because we only finished doing it…”_ he looked at his watch. The time read 4 am " … _a_ _hour ago? Jesus."_

Groggily he sat up on the end of the bed. "You can come in if you stop that fucking racket.”

Simon entered the room followed by the weasel looking guy Dwight- the one with the hot wife and sister in law. Both men were momentarily set aback at the sight of their leader nude and the backside of the woman in the bed, limbs akimbo, and snoring like a dump truck, but they recovered quickly.

"Yes?" Negan said with more than a hint of irritation.

"Sorry to interrupt you fun times boss, but we got some urgent news from the outpost that has been supervising that landslide cleanup. Ten of their guys were sent in to clean up from the completed project." Simon paused. "Only two returned."

"God-fucking-damn it!" Negan gestured to Dwight, who was trying very hard to not stare at his naked boss and companion. "And why is he here?" He asked Simon.

Jolting into attention, Dwight responded automatically. "I am the one who intercepted the original message...I uh...I’m training in the comm department and I am really grateful for the opportunity to prove myself and...."

"Dwight, do I need to set a _literal_ fire under your ass to force this message out of you any quicker?"

"Uh..no, sir... " Dwight gulped. "The outpost said that they tracked the group to a temporary campsite. There were fifteen people there and it looked like they had stripped the excavation site. They killed ten but five escaped. The tracker, Cole, followed them to a settlement. Three entered, one came out with three others. They were headed back towards the camp, presumably to look for the rest and…”

Negan interrupted. “And the outpost out there can’t handle this, catch the idiots, give the fuckers the spiel?”

Simon answered for Dwight. “They caught them and brought them back to the outpost. Three of the men were armed to the teeth. Cole says the settlement is a big one and they think you need to come out with reinforcements and do a proper introduction.”  
  
Negan raised an eyebrow. “How big of a settlement?”  
  
Simon smiled. “A fortified college campus.”  
  
Negan whistled.

* * *

 

“Wooooheee…They were NOT kidding about this place!” Negan said, taking the binoculars away from his eyes. He and Simon were quite a distance from the….settlement was not the right word…compound. This was a compound as fortified and guarded as the Sanctuary. “I cannot _wait_ to meet the man that did all this…” Negan smiled at Simon. “…and make him my _BITCH.”_  
  
He looked again. “Do I see fucking GUARD DOGS on that wall? Not kidding at ALL. I am going home with some good shit today. I can _feel it,_ yes sir!”  
  
“So what is the plan, Negan? Go in guns blazing? Break down their fucking door?” Simon was excited.  
  
“Simon, Simon, Simon…” Negan shook his head with a grin. “There is no need for fireworks when our little silent friends back there…” He gestured to the group of subdued captives. “…will act as our all access pass. I have a feeling that we can knock on their door and be let _right_ on in.”  
  
Frustratingly, none of the captives would tell him anything about the place. The three armed ones especially. The other three were just terrified blubbering messes.  
  
It had taken Negan several hours after being awoken by Simon and Dwight to organize a contingent of Saviors, trucks, and weapons to drive the thirty or so minutes to the excavation site where the prisoners were being held. On Cole’s direction, they made their way to an overlook of the mountain that looked down on the valley and the settlement below. Negan estimated that it had taken about twenty minutes to get to where they were now and another ten to roll up to the gate of this fortress.  
  
And roll up they did. Well…not literally, not yet. Negan wasn’t so stupid to think it was a good idea to drive the truck up to the front gate. Instead, he, his men, and their captives melted from the tree line thirty yards away from the walls. _Smart, very smart._ Negan thought to himself. _Guarantees no stealth attacks, can see large groups of dead coming. In another life, I may have respected this guy._  
  
They could see him coming. He knew it by the way the guards on the top of the wall tensed and raised their rifles and the sun glinted off their scopes. He specifically waited until this time in the day, using the sun to his advantage. _Showtime…._ “Yooo-Hooo…” Negan wiggled his gloved fingers at the sentries. “I think I found something you may want back.” Negan waved Lucille at the captives. “Now… You _could_ try something right now but I would NOT recommend that if you all want to still be alive by the dawn. Would you be so _kind_ as to direct us to your leader?”

Each statement was delivered with such nonchalance and, yet, congeniality the sentries on the wall were not quite sure what to do. One looked at the group through the scope and recognized Easton as a captive. Knowing they were watching, he gave an almost imperceptible nod to his men. They looked at each other warily and signaled for the gate to be open.  
  
To Negan’s surprise, the whole of the gate did not open but rather a large door in the bottom the width of three men. A very tall man, taller than Negan stepped out. He was unarmed, arms spread wide in a non-threatening gesture. “Welcome to Haven. My name is Matthew. I see you have found some of our missing brothers and sisters. How can I be of help to you?”  
  
Negan was not quite sure what to make of this tall man’s demeanor but he didn’t like it. Made him feel unsettled. “Well, Matty Boy…” He was delighted to see that the taller man flinched at the diminutive nickname. “Your people stole my shit, killed my people, and now I am here to do something about that. Are you the leader here?”  
  
“Oh no. The leader is my cousin. My job here is to welcome newcomers and listen to their confessions.”  
  
Negan gave Matthew and incredulous look. “What the _SHIT_ are you talking about Matty?”  
  
“Generally it is our policy that one must confess their sins to enter Haven.” He said with a serene smile. Matthew’s face took on a hardened look. “Though that is probably not appropriate, given the circumstances.”  
  
Negan had had enough of this freaky religious shit. He leveled Lucille at Matthew’s face. “Take me to your leader NOW…” With a wave of a gloved hand, four dozen Saviors materialized out of the trees, paused for a moment, and slunk back. “Or you are seriously going to regret fucking with me, Matty Boy.”  
  
Matthew noticeable paled and swallowed. “Follow me…uh…sir.”  
  
The group of Saviors and their hostages moved across a parking lot, following Matthew towards a group of people tending to a growing section of crops. “Our leader is over there.”  
  
“We are _finally_ getting somewhere now, Matty Boy!” He patted the large man on the shoulder and Dwight grabbed him from behind and subdued him.

The first thing Negan noticed about the group was an ass that went on for DAYS bending over a planter box. _Damn, maybe I get to take a wife home tonight!_ He felt a thrill go down his spine at the thought. "Who does a guy have to blow to meet a goddamn person in a fucking position of authority around here?"  
  
Startled, the entire group of people stood up, turned around, and Negan got to see the curves attached to that ass. _Poetry in motion._ He chuckled to himself.  
  
There was a moment of silence from the crowd as the appraised the situation. "Now, I know that I am _pretty_ , people. But I asked you fuckers a goddamn question! WHO is in charge around here?”

The hot blonde stepped forward. “I am asshole. And who do you think you are, fucking storming my goddamn castle like you own this fucking place?”  
  
_Holy fucking shit!_ Negan was first surprised because he assumed the pretty middle-aged blond guy next to her was the prick in charge, he looked smarmy enough. Second, he was NOT expecting the mouth on that little girl, it was rather arousing. Third, who the FUCK did she think she was?  
  
“My name is Negan, this _beauty_ is Lucille and she….is… _awesome_!” He smiled shaking the baseball bat. “You sorry shits stole from me and I’m going to take half your shit. But first…first, someone is going to die.”  
  
Negan swung Lucille into the head of the hostage closest to him, the one Cole confirmed had led the search party back to the outpost last night. The gathered crowd screamed as the man’s head exploded into a spray of gore and brains, splattering across the face of the stony-faced Saviors and the other hostages. Except for Dwight, that fucker looked queasy.  
  
“Ethan! NOOOOO” One of the captive women wailed as Negan took a swing.  
  
“This…is…what…happens…when…you….fuck….with…my…SHIT!” Each word was punctuated with another blow and another and the backsplash of each hit showered skin and bone onto the crowd. Negan was breathing heavily with the exertion. He turned to the crowd “Welcome to MY world, you sorry sons of bitches!”  
  
Negan took one long step forward until he towered over the pretty blonde leader. She looked up at him over her glasses with deep set and dark blue eyes. She was stone-faced throughout the entire execution and seemed unfazed by the gore on her face and clothes. He whispered in her ear, “Unless you want to see some more pointless death, you work for me now. Half your shit is mine. Half of what you fucking find is mine. Got it?”  
  
Before she could answer, the wailing woman suddenly broke free of her captor, grabbed his knife, and launched herself at Negan. He caught her mid-leap in the side with Lucille and she fell to the ground. “Ohhhhhoooohooo nooooo!!! That _SHIT_ does NOT fly with me. I don’t like killing women but….” Negan raised Lucille again.  
  
“Do it, Gill.” The words were so quiet that Negan barely heard them but he turned mid swing expecting an attack from one of the men in the crowd. Instead, he was hit with warm arterial spray as the tiny girl standing next to the blonde pulled two lethal sharp crochet needles from her bun on her head, stabbed the woman in the throat, and jumped back in place.  
  
Negan watched, dumbfounded, as the woman gurgled, sputtered, and died. He turned to the blonde. “Well hot damn girly! Someone has a _GIANT_ set of balls on them! Killing one of your own? That is _fucking_ COLD!”

  
The blonde shrugged. “I wanted you to know I can be just as serious too.” She pressed a booted foot into the side of the dead woman’s face, turning it to her impassive gaze. “Also, I have NO fucking idea who that woman was and she sure as shit wasn’t one of my people. But I have no tolerance for dangerous stupidity and whatever these fuckers did,” she gestured to the dead “to bring you to my doorstep was BEYOND fucking stupid.”  
  
“You BITCH!” the last hostage screamed struggling against her captor. Simon pistol whipped her and she slumped forward unconscious.  
  
Negan whispered in her ear. “How do I know you aren’t lying, baby doll?”  
  
“Because I’m not that stupid, Negan. A group of three survivors showed up at my door last night claiming to have been overwhelmed by a group of the dead and asked my man, Easton, over there” she pointed to the calm bound and gagged man “to help them find the rest of their friends. I haven’t spent all of my fucking time building ALL of this shit to risk it on pissing off some group I know nothing about.”  
  
Suddenly twenty or so people with rifles popped into view on the tops of the building behind the girl. The Saviors not otherwise occupied drew their weapons. Negan smiled and bit his lip. “It looks like we got ourselves a real old fashioned Mexican standoff situation here!”  
  
The blonde swore, Matthew shouted “I’ve seen their numbers, Kate! They have forty or more men outside the gate!”  
  
_Kate? What a completely ordinary sounding name…  
_  
“Gill! Tell Lyssa to stand down!” The petite brunette whispered something in the blonde, Kate’s ear. “Yes, I know about the protocol! I FUCKING _created_ the damn protocol. Just…give me your fucking radio.” She looked at Negan with pleading eyes.  
  
“Be my guest little lady.” He acquiesced. “I can be _quite_ fucking reasonable once you get to know me.” Negan grinned at her.  
  
Kate pushed the talk button on the radio. “Lyssa, stand down. We just have some….” She looked at the group of Saviors. “Some guests visiting with us.”  
  
“Guests? Are you shitting me?” Came the squawking protest over the airwaves.  
  
“Lyssa, don’t fucking contradict me!” There was a harshness to her voice that Negan liked. “Put everything in lockdown, meet Matt at the front gate, and escort the rest of our guests in the walls and feed them.” She looked up at Negan and gave him a smile he felt all the way down to his cock. “Besides, we don’t want to get a reputation for being bad hosts.”  
  
“Well, aren’t you just fucking accommodating, darling.” Negan laughed at her and she shifted uncomfortably. “And since you have been so, I will let your little friends go. Simon?” He waved a hand at Simon who untied this dude Easton and his other two companions. Dwight let go of Matt.

Kate addressed the crowd of scared people still watching this drama unfold. “Go to your homes and don’t come back out until Lyssa tell you to.”

  
The corpse of the woman was starting to stir back to life. Kate looked down at her and pulled a knife out. Negan stopped her, shaking his head. “No, no no, pretty lady. You give me half your shit, you work for _me,_ and I give you _protection!_ ” He swung Lucille once into her head and she stopped moving.  
  
Kate looked from the corpse to Negan. “Easton, you take that unconscious woman. Lock her and the other two up until I can figure out this shit. Then get Libby and send her to me. You two, Archangels, clean this mess up and take the bodies…somewhere. Matt, you heard what I told Lyssa, take these people to the cafeteria.” Matthew started to protest “DO IT NOW.”

“If you and…Simon, is it?” Simon nodded to her. “If you, Simon, and your other friend there will follow me to my personal apartments, I will have food sent to us and we can talk about whatever arrangement you may want.”  
  
Negan flashed Kate another dazzling smile. “As long as I get to follow right fucking _behind_ you _all...the…way_!” He smirked at her growing blush.  
  
“Um…okay?” She stumbled over the words and it came out as a question and not a statement. Kate started trotting in the opposite direction as the rest of the Saviors.

  
Negan admired her backside as he followed her and swung Lucille over his shoulder.  

 

_Fucking accommodating INDEED!_


	4. Head Games

 

_“Umm…okay?” Really, Kate? What the fuck is wrong with you?_

Kate was mentally berating herself for letting this…Negan guy get into her head. Except she knew what was wrong with her. Deep down, Kate knew that she found him undeniably and wildly attractive. She had watched him absolutely bash the brains of that poor fucker in and it still did not detract from her attraction and, if she was being honest, it might have added to it. THAT was something she needed to mentally examine about herself later. He had a feeling of dangerous sex that just….oozed from him. From the second she heard him say “blow” in that...rough voice and saw the face and body attached to those words she was having some pretty graphic images flitting through her head of her on her knees in front of him, his cock in her mouth, his eyes shut in absolute ecstasy, while she savored him like a steak.  
  
“How much farther are we going here, darling?” Kate could FEEL his eyes on her ass while she was walking. She slowly turned until she was walking backward. “Not that I mind the view.” Negan said with a wink. Kate noticed that his eyes were that type of amber brown that changed in the light.

 _Did he just fucking wink at me??_ She chose to answer him with an eye roll and turning her back on him.

That was a mistake.

Kate gasped as a strong gloved hand grabbed her bare arm and yanked her back around. Suddenly she found herself pressed into Negan’s chest while he pointed Lucille at Gill, keeping her an arm’s length away as she struggled against the blond man. Negan handed Lucille to Simon and grasped Kate tighter. He smelled of leather, sweat, cigar smoke, and the coppery tang of blood and Kate found it wholly disarming. His body was firm but not as muscular as she would have imagined.  
  
Negan grasped her face and made Kate look at him. “Listen _fucking_ closely, princess. Just because I have _generously_ agreed to this fucking…powwow of yours does not mean that you get to ignore me when I ask a goddamn question, do you _FUCKING_ understand me?” His expression was cold and fierce and hungry.  
  
_I may be out of my element here…_ Kate thought as she looked up at him, and nodded.  
  
“Say ‘Yes, Negan.’” He accentuated his statement with a shake.   
  
“Yes…Negan.” Kate was trembling at the closeness of him. She could feel his cock pressed against her stomach and she swallowed and licked her dry lips.  
  
Negan clearly noticed this because a dark expression moved briefly over his face before he smiled and relaxed his grip. “See? That wasn’t so bad! Now, how much farther do we _fucking_ have?”  
  
Kate pointed to a squat red brick academic building fifty yards away. “Not far, it’s just that one there.”

“Well, in that case, why don’t you carry Lucille here for me the rest of the way?” Negan gestured for Simon to hand Kate the bat. It was heavy and smooth in her hands.  
  
Kate led them down the path and through a wide set of glass double doors. Negan insisted on holding the door open for her. _What a contradictory power move._

As if reading her thoughts Negan grinned at her “I _always_ hold the door open for my Lucille. I know how to treat a lady right, _Kate._ ” Kate shivered as he spoke her name for the first time.

Negan, Dwight, and Simon followed Kate and Gill up a small flight of stairs and down a small oddly twisting hallway. Kate opened the door to the conference room and gestured for the men to enter inside. “Gill, stand guard outside.” Gill tried to protest but Kate interrupted her. “I will be fine.”  
  
“Dwight, keep that little girl company. Make sure she doesn’t try any shit.” Negan stopped him from entering the room. Dwight gave him a nod.  
  
“Gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable.” She smiled through gritted teeth. “If you don’t mind, I would like to freshen up.” Kate indicated the blood and viscera on her clothes and hair. She was still holding the baseball bat. _I need to get Negan off his game._ Kate flashed Negan what she hoped was a wicked smile. “Would you like me to help Lucille freshen up as well?”  
  
Negan didn’t miss a beat. “Princess, you can polish my bat as often as you fucking want.” He gave her a lecherous grin.  
  
_I did not come off the better in that exchange. Nope._ Kate thought as she entered into the attached bathroom.  
  
Simon turned to Negan. “She is trying to toy with you.”  
  
Negan laughed low. “I know, right? Isn’t it fucking _hilarious_?” He leaned backward in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head, and kicking his boot onto the table. “Did you see the _ass_ on that girl? Damn. Too bad she runs this place otherwise I would be of half a mind to take another wife.”  
  
Simon’s mustache rustled in the snort of his laugh. “The three you have aren’t keeping you busy enough?”  
  
“Sure they are. But a man likes to have some fucking variety in his fucking.” Simon and Negan shared a laugh “Come to think of it, though, that little one was pretty fucking impressive with those needles…”  
  
Simon grinned. “I wouldn’t even try, Negan. That little one would be quick as cut your dick off before saying yes to you. Not worth it.”  
  
Meanwhile, Kate was trying to gain her fucking composure in the bathroom. _Holy fucking shit! What is even happening right now? Get your shit together, Kate. You need a game plan and you need one now._ Kate mulled over her options as she carefully and quickly unraveled the barbed wire from the baseball bat and cleaned both. _What kind of person names a baseball bat after a woman and make sexual jokes about it?_ She smiled to herself. _A sick motherfucker that’s who._  
  
Kate watched the blood wash down the drain in the tub she had installed in the bathroom and rewound the barbed wire tightly around Lucille. Placing her by the door, Kate peeled off the now ruined leggings and t-shirt and threw them in the corner to get rid of later. Wetting a cloth, she cleaned her face, arms, and hair as free of gore as she could and changed into a different outfit.  
  
Kate emerged from the bathroom, delighted to see that Negan took noticed of her low cut, form fitting tunic, and belt. _Round two, motherfucker._ She made a moved to hand Lucille back to him as he stood. Their hands touched oh so briefly and it gave Kate a chill.

  
“Look at my dirty girl! Dirty...no...more!” Negan gave Lucille an appreciative swing as the door to the conference room opened.  
  
Libby entered pushing a food cart. “Kate, what the hell is going on? I was told to bring this to you but no one will…” She stopped as she took in her sister, a jovial-looking mustached man, and a sociopath with a baseball bat.  
  
“Lib, this is Negan and his right-hand man Simon. Negan, this is my sister and my second, Libby.”  
  
“And this here sexy lady is Lucille.” Negan gestured to his bat.  
  
Kate gave a pleading glance to her sister. “Lib, would you please serve these gentlemen some lunch. They are here to discuss…how our communities can better serve each other.” Kate turned to Negan and Simon. “Can I get you something to drink? Wine, liquor, beer?”  
  
“Well, aren’t you a fucking proper hostess, darling.” Negan smiled, running the tip of his tongue along the bottom of his teeth. “I could sure go for a cold one.”  
  
“I’m a gin man, myself.” Said Simon.  
  
Kate nodded and disappeared into the other room. Negan and Simon could hear the opening and closing of cupboard doors and the clinking of glassware. Kate reappeared carrying a tray with three glasses and an assortment of drinks. She served Negan first, pouring a bottle of Budweiser into a glass Negan was pleased to see was chilled. “You give great head, little girl!” He said as the beer foamed to the top of the glass.  
  
“Thank-you. I’ve had a lot of practice.” Kate returned his cheeky grin as Lib snorted into her hand. _Two can play at this game asshole._  
   
“Well look who is showing a goddamn sense of _humor!”_ Negan exclaimed as Kate next poured Simon’s drink.  
  
Walking around to the other side of the table, Kate poured the remaining bottle, hard cider, into her own chilled glass. Kate looked down at the meal in front of her- grilled chicken breast, sautéed beans, and red potatoes. _Good, the kitchen got the message._ She started to eat and noticed Simon and Negan were not. “Negan, you have an occupying force within my walls. I’m not going to try and poison you. I value my life and those of my people too much.”  
  
“Well, when you fucking put it that way, princess…” He took a bite of the chicken. “Sweet Jesus, this shit is _good!_ It’s like an orgasm in my fucking _mouth_!”  
  
The four ate it tense silence for many minutes until Negan took a long swig of his beer. “So, what is with the freaky fucker at the front gate asking people to confess their sins? Says he is your cousin?”

Kate laughed. “Yeeaahhh, he was a pastor before everything so he vets newcomers.” She made a decent impression of him “You must confess your sins to enter the kingdom of Haven.”

“And what happens if someone decides to lie about their sins?”  
  
Kate smiled. “I find out all sins eventually. And then it depends on the sin. Sometimes exile, sometimes other punishments. Sometimes death, or worse.” Her face grew serious. “I have rules that must be followed and I don’t stand for them being broken.”

Negan gave an almost appreciative nod. “And does Haven live up to its name, doll?”

“For those who follow the rules? Yes.” Kate gave a sad smile. “Until today perhaps.”  
  
“Well pardon me for ruining your fucking party, baby, but like I said, my shit got stolen and somebody sure as _shit_ was going to pay for it.” Negan’s eyes flash at the subtle accusation in Kate’s words.  
  
Kate was angry now. “And I told you, we didn’t _FUCKING_ steal your _shit._ Do you want what we took from the ones who showed up last night? Hell, do you _fucking_ want to take them back to wherever the _fuck_ you came from and deal with them however you do? We have _nothing_ to do with them. And for that matter, how _exactly_ did those fuckers shit in your sandwich?”  
  
Negan barked a harsh laugh. “Tempting offer, little lady. And I _might_ just take you up on that. As to ‘shitting in my sandwich,’ they killed eight of my men I sent to clean up a rock slide, stole guns and supplies. My men took their justice, some ran off, we tracked them here. It’s pretty fucking simple. And it looks like I did you a fucking _favor_ killing _all_ those people before they found their way here for good.”  
  
Kate’s heart speed up a bit at the realization that whoever these people were, they had the means to clear a completely blocked road of a massive landslide. She looked down at her half-finished meal. “Thank you. And I mean that genuinely.”

Negan smiled and clapped his hands together. “That is what I am _talking_ about. A little _fucking_ gratitude!” He continued. “However, I am not of a fucking mind to just walk away from this perfect little situation you got going here. A place like this is bound to attract some attention- from the dead, from other groups- I fucking found you, others will. You pay me a tribute and in return, you get my protection.”  
  
Kate snorted. “That sounds an _awful_ lot like a protection racket, Negan. You know, in which we pay you to protect us from yourself.”  
  
Negan’s eyes flashed in anger. “I know what a fucking protection racket is. Don’t condescend to me, little girl.” The phrase “little girl,” so laced with sexual innuendo a short time early was now spoken with such simmering anger that Kate paled. Negan relaxed and smiled. “Besides, doll, I am a man of my fucking word. You need my help and you can bet your sweet ass that you will have it.”  
  
Kate trailed a finger around the rim of her glass for few moments. “How many people do you think live here, Negan?

Negan was temporarily thrown by this question. “I beg your fucking pardon, _Kate_?”  
  
Kate continued. “Over eight _hundred_ people live, breath, and die here…”  
  
Negan interrupted her with a smirk. “That’s fucking cute.”  
  
Kate paused at the implicit suggestion that Negan was in charge of a larger group of people. “We grow our own crops, preserve our own foods. We hunt, we gather. We are almost totally self-sufficient. Hell, here is one for you, we make our own medications.” Lib gasped as Kate gave away this information. Kate waved her off with a hand. “I tell you this to make a point and prove to you that I fully intend on being fucking cooperative with you. However, I CANNOT _fucking_ function and take care of MY _goddamn_ people and ‘work for you’ if you cut my fucking knees off.”  
  
Negan gnawed on a lip. “So what do you propose instead, princess?”  
  
“I’m guessing you have…other communities that you keep under your ‘protection,’” She made air quotes with her fingers. “Ones that did not make the unfortunate mistake of pissing you off before you encountered them.”  
  
Negan thought about Ezekiel and the Kingdom. “You would be correct, darling.”  
  
Kate drew a breath to steady her nerves and stared at the palms of her hands. “So, instead of taking half of our shit, I propose a more…diplomatic situation. We supply things you might be lacking in, even people if need be. But on one condition.”

“And _just_ what…might…that…be?”  
  
Kate looked up from across the table, straight into Negan’s steely gaze.  
  
“I want you to take me to your compound first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient for this update. I don't like to post a chapter until I have the next one written so I don't run out of material. But the next chapter will be a long one and is taking more work. 
> 
> I also wanted to point out, if it went unnoticed, that I am currently setting these events prior to the Saviors encountering Hilltop and the Alexandrians. I love The Walking Dead but my absolute biggest pet peeve with it is the ridiculous timeline that currently has all of season 7 so far taking place in 6-8 days. Because of this, my timeline will be more drawn out and realistic, even though a lot of show events will be shown later.


	5. Barracuda

Both Lib and Simon started protesting at the same time.

"Shut the fuck up, Lib."

"Shut the fuck up, Simon."

Kate and Negan looked at each other as they both realized they had spoken in unison. Lib and Simon stopped their protestations.

_Well, that was fucking awkward._  Thought Kate.

_Spooky shit._ Thought Negan. He gave Kate a bemused grin. "And why do you want to see my compound, baby doll?"

"Well first, how else will I be able to ascertain how to service you best?" The statement was laced with innuendo and Kate shamelessly fluttered her eyes at him.

Negan licked his lips in response. "And second?"

Kate grew serious. "I don't trust you.” Negan laughed. “And I want to know what kind of shit I am getting myself and my people involved with. You’ve seen mine. I want to see yours.”  
  
Negan looked her over with an unreadable expression. “And have I seen yours? Princess? Seems to me I haven’t had a proper fucking tour.”  
  
“You want a fucking tour?” Kate stared at Negan in disbelief.   
  
He shrugged. “I want to see what you have to offer me, baby doll.” Negan winked at her. “And I don’t trust you either to not fucking hide shit from me.”  
  
Kate smiled and tilted her head. “That’s…fair.” She pushed herself away from the table and stood up. “This shouldn’t take too long.”  
  
Negan downed the rest of his beer. “This is your fucking show, baby girl.”  
  
And it didn’t take too long. Negan, Simon, Dwight, Lib, and Gill followed Kate as she first showed them Haven’s laboratories, hospital, and medical supplies and then their stockpile of guns and ammunition, before finishing with the cafeteria and food storage. Kate found Negan unsettlingly quiet throughout the whole exchange, his silence only broken with a “Fuck me…” at the weapons and an appreciative grunt upon seeing that his men had indeed been well fed. She couldn’t decide if this was unintentional or tactical but, from what little interaction they had had she assumed it was tactical. Negan did not seem like the kind of person who did anything without specific intent.  


Kate had an odd sense of déjà vu to a life gone by as she pointed out which buildings housed her people, doubled as a gathering place, the library, a school, and holding cells for prisoners. “We also have a gym and a machine shop where we fix electronics, courtesy of the former art department.”   
  
Her tour took them in a circle back to where they started, entering the conference room again, she was pleased to see that someone had cleared the plates and food from the room.

  
“So what do you think?”  
  
Negan nodded at Kate with appreciation. “You have a tight run little operation here, honey. I’ll fucking give you that. Actually, I’ll be _real_ fucking honest with you, I’m impressed, more than I _thought_ I would be, and I am man enough to admit that fault. I’m fucking humble like that.”  
  
Kate highly doubted that Negan truly thought he had any faults and nor that he a shred of humility in them. A sentiment that Simon appeared to agree with as Kate noticed him trying to bite the smile off his face.  
  
“So, you see we have a lot to offer you. Good.” Kate continued. “And as a show of good faith, I will turn the other offenders over to you, give you ALL of the fresh produce gathered today, fifty rifles, five hundred round of ammo, and surrender one of our doctors as a permanent hostage against retaliation.” _Everyone needs a spare doctor._  
  
Negan considered this for a hard moment. He slapped his large hand on the table and stood up, startling the rest seated at the table. “Let’s take a fucking road trip!”

* * *

 

  
Negan watched as Kate directed her people to gather her tribute and help load it onto his trucks.  
  
Simon came up to him. “What is your endgame here, Negan? Why not just have the same deal like we cut with Ezekiel?”  
  
“Ezekiel is a passive and cautious person and his people don’t know shit about this world, Simon. Kate clear as _fuck_ is not. Her people kill on her command and she commands a fuckload of people. That is fucking _dan…ger…ous_. She hasn’t fucking pissed me off and she seems willing to be cooperative.” Negan flashed him a warning look. “And let me remind you, I sure as _shit_ don’t have to fucking explain myself to you, _Simon._ ” Simon had the good sense to look appropriately chastised and Negan warmed. “Besides, I still intend on taking a motherfucking shitload of their crap. I’m just curious to see what kind of thoughts that little girl over there,” He nodded towards Kate. “Has running through her pretty fucking head.” Kate was rather animatedly arguing with a girl about her age with a half-shaved haircut. She pointed a finger at her face very pointedly and the other girl crossed her arms in aggressive silence.   
  
Their conversation quieted as Kate approached them with the girl and an older looking balding man with glasses and a lab coat. “Negan, this is Dr. Carson.” She gestured to the balding man. “The surgeon you requested.” Negan had picked this man on his tour of the facilities. He seemed…tractable, submissive, and the kind of person he could let around his wives without being a stupid shit. Kate gestured to the girl “And this is my cousin Lyssa. She is in charge of security behind the walls, part of my personal security, and is,” Kate glanced sideways at her cousin, “fucking _enraged_ that I will not allow her to accompany me to your compound.”

Negan gave Lyssa a once over. “Well, I wouldn’t want to fucking deprive the princess of her…” He looked at the double gun holster on her hips. “Fucking armed escort…”  
  
Kate interrupted him. “And I would rather not give you another hostage opportunity.” She flashed Negan a smile. Lyssa tried to protest but Kate shot her down with a head shake.   


Negan nodded his acknowledgment of her reasoning.  He rubbed his hands together. “Okay then.” He yelled out orders to the Saviors “Let’s get these fucking trucks on the road!” He gave Kate a look that sent a shiver down her spine. “Baby doll here is going to be riding up front with me.”  
  
Kate could hear the sounds of people jumping into the backs of trucks and van doors slamming shut as she climbed up into the passenger side of what used to be a U-haul, now spray painted black. She looked at her watch. It had been about 11:00 am when Negan entered the walls of Haven and it was now 2:00 pm. _Only three hours, but it feels like a week ago. Time flies when you are having fun, I guess._ Kate chuckled to herself.   
  
She started as Negan open the driver’s side door and climbed inside the cabin, which was increasingly feeling smaller by the minute.

  
"Care to share with me what is so goddamn funny? A penny for your fucking thoughts?" He turned the key in the ignition and Kate signaled for the front gates to open. The bodies of the dead, attracted by the commotion and noise of trucks, were littered over the ground, disposed of by Valkyries and Archangels.

"It was nothing. Something from a long time ago." Kate decided her best tactic was to change subjects. "How far away is your compound?"

If Negan noticed the deflection he chose to ignore it. "About an hour. It’s called The Sanctuary." She could see the upturn of his mouth out of the corner of her eye as she watched the gate close in the side mirror. "Home of the Saviors."

"That is a fucking interesting choice of name for a group of thugs."

Negan gripped the wheel tighter in anger. "We bring brutal order in a brutal world. We are the saviors of humanity. Besides, you don't get the fucking monopoly on apocalyptic religious imagery. You don't get to fucking judge my people calling themselves Saviors unless you would like me to fucking judge your choice of names. Archangels and Valkyries? Fucking really?" He gave her a side eye.

Kate was more than a little surprised he had bothered to pay attention to her directing people. "We bring vengeance upon the dead and justice on the living. We are as peaceful as a dove and as deadly as a snake." She looked at him. "Besides, how much of your own bullshit do you even fucking believe?"

Negan turned completely to look at her, taking his eyes off the road, but never veering. "And how much of your fucking bullshit do you believe, little girl?"

Kate shrugged "I don't fucking know. I do know that it motivates people, gives them something to believe in, and orders their life. Would you please watch the fucking road?"

Negan laughed sharply but did as she asked. "Exactly my goddamn point, baby doll." He grew serious. "These games between as are all fucking fun and full of shit and giggles, baby girl, but just fucking friendly reminder that If you question me in front of my fucking men in my goddamn house, you sure as shit are going to regret it."

Kate shivered as they lapsed into uncomfortable silence. She didn't know what to make of him, all smiles one moment and death threats the next. Death threats she knew he was serious about.

About twenty minutes had passed before she decided to break it. “Why am I sitting up here with you? Why do I still have my knives? Why aren’t I riding blindfolded in the back of one of your trucks so I have no idea where I am going? It’s what I would have done.”  
  
Negan laughed. “First and foremost, I want to keep a fucking eye on you. Second, I don’t for a damn minute think that a fucking blindfold would stop you from finding out where my compound is if I wanted to hide it from you. Third, you haven’t done anything to piss me off enough to warrant taking your weapons.” He paused and Kate felt as if he was unsure of whether or not to continue. “And fourth, I may trust my men, but I don’t trust them enough to throw a pretty tied up girl into their midst. I don’t want to have to kill a bunch of men for rape because I made a fucking stupid choice.”  
  
Kate was momentarily shocked into silence and didn’t know quite how to respond to the realization that he found her pretty and didn’t want people to rape her. And she was slightly pissed that he didn’t find her to be enough of a threat to disarm her. “Good to know you are against rape, Negan.” She cringed at how awkward she sounded.   
  
“We are not fucking monsters, Kate. Rape is inexcusable and it’s a despicable way for a weak man to feel powerful. Anyone who rapes dies.”  
  
They lapsed into uncomfortable silence again but this time it was broken by Negan. “So, out of curiosity, how many fucking family members do you have working for you?”

  
Kate was jolted out of her thoughts by the question. “Huh?”  
  
“Come on, I’ve already met a sister and two cousins. You fucking have a family.”  
  
Kate laughed. “You have actually met four of my family members. Gill is my other sister and Easton, who you captured, is another cousin.” She thought for a moment. “That is actually probably why you had little resistance at the gates. Which was fucking stupid on their part.” She continued. “I have ten cousins…” Kate looked at Negan. “…on my dad’s side.”  
  
“Damn girl! How many fucking family members do you have?” Negan glanced at her in clear disbelief.  
  
“Forty. That is both sides of my family. There were more but not everyone has survived. My grandfather turned and killed my grandmother. I had an uncle whose paranoia became dangerous.” Kate spoke more quietly. “My father.”  
  
Negan shifted uncomfortably in his seat but chose not to comment on the death. He whistled low. “But how the fuck did you manage that? That is a shit ton of people.”  
  
Kate shrugged. “It’s not that complicated.”  
  
“Fucking try me.”  
  
“My entire family was in town for my sister Lib’s wedding when everything went to shit. And she was getting married in the church on the campus. We were at the fucking rehearsal dinner when emergency reports were directing people to stay inside or evacuate to survivor camps.”

  
Negan laughed “That shit is hilarious.”    
  
Kate continued. “I knew that was going to be a shit show and got everyone to agree to come here instead.” She sighed “After that the rest was pretty simple. There were a lot of people already there- students and professors. We had a lot of manpower to put up defenses quickly. Some of my family was local and were gun enthusiasts. It wasn’t difficult to build quickly and get strangers organized when I had upwards of fifty people doing what I was telling them. We were incredibly lucky.”  
  
“Lucky is a fucking understatement, little gir…Jesus fucking Christ!” Negan swore as the rounded a bend in the trees and slammed on the brakes at an approaching group of thirty or so of the dead. He grabbed Lucille and jumped from the truck even as the rest of the vehicles in the convoy abruptly started slamming on their brakes as well. “Stay here!”  
  
_Fuck that noise!_ Kate followed behind him drawing the hunting knife strapped around her hips. She drove it into the skull of a walker who appeared from the trees with a sickening squelch. Yanking her knife out of the now finally dead walker it was in another head before the first one fell. Pausing she glanced towards Negan.  
  
He was a sight to behold. Clearly in his element, he swung Lucille with a grace that Kate found beautiful. Walker after walker went down, head bashed in by the baseball bat. Kate continued on her grim work as well, while the tide of the undead drew her and Negan together. “I thought I fucking told you to stay in the truck!” He growled, tugging Lucille from another head.  
  
“And fucking miss all the fun? Not likely!” Kate impaled another advancing walker with her knife before withdrawing. He hands and arms were covered in gore but Kate felt exhilarated. It had been a long time since she had been able to do this.  
  
As more and more of the undead poured from the woods, Kate was vaguely aware of Negan’s men killing the dead and arming themselves. She heard Simon shout Negan’s name and toss him an assault rifle- one that used to belong to Haven. Negan caught it, dropped Lucille, and coolly opened fire in one fluid move, bracing himself against the front of the truck. The walkers dropped in a spray of bullets and Negan advanced forward, laughing. Kate pulled a handgun from the back of her waistband. She fired with deadly precision, corpses dropping from head shots one by one until her magazine ran out.   
  
Suddenly, a walker stumbled from the trees behind Negan reaching for him. Kate swore and rushed forward to intercept the dead one. She stabbed it just as it grabbed the back of Negan’s jacket. Momentarily caught off balance, the spray of bullets arched wide. Negan turned to look at her and gave Kate a nod. She smiled and bowed in return.

Negan grinned at her. "I guess I fucking owe you for that one, little girl." The herd had thinned considerably and Negan fell back picking up Lucille first, indicating for Kate to do the same, as the Saviors moved forward to deal with the stragglers head on.

Kate made to open her door on the truck but Negan slammed it shut on her. "What the fuck?"

Negan leaned over her, trapping Kate between his body and the car door. "That was absolutely not fucking cool. I told you to stay and you immediately ignored me."

"I'm not some fucking pet you can command and I'm not one of your men." Kate looked up into dark angry eyes. “Don’t give that look. I had a vested interest in exterminating that herd since they were inevitably going to make their way to Haven. I have people to protect, same as you.” She looked down and raised her hands, hesitating before she gently placed them on his chest. It was warm and firm. Kate spoke in a softer voice, pleading. “Please?”  
  
Negan’s gaze momentarily softened before shifting into a pained look and settling on humor. “Consider this one a freebie in return for covering my ass.”  
  
“Thank you.” Negan did not make to move away. Kate was painfully aware of the closeness of him and she could feel it in the fluttering of her lower stomach and the ache in her groin. She realized that she was still touching him and quickly removed her hand. Her palms felt like they were on fire.

Her uncomfortableness was not lost on Negan because he responded with a low, throaty laugh. He winked at her, opened her door, unexpectedly picked her up, and lifted her up onto the seat. Kate gasped at the sudden intrusion. “Hey!” But her complaint fell on deaf ears as Negan slammed the door and walked around the front of the truck. Kate was actually a little impressed at the ease of which he lifted her. She was honest that she had some meat on her bones.   
  
Negan climbed back into the cab and gave her an appraising look before starting the engine and continuing on their drive.

“What?” Kate asked.   
  
“You are fucking covered in shit, little girl.” He gestured to her clothes.

Kate looked down and sighed at yet another set of clothes covered in gore. At least this one could be salvaged. “It was worth it.” Negan gave her a puzzled look. “It’s been four or five months since I have been outside Haven and even longer since I got to do something like that.”

“Damn.”  
  
Kate shrugged. “One of the setbacks of leadership. I have a lot of people that take care of things outside of the walls for me and I always seem to be needed inside them. I’m sure you have experienced something similar.”  
  
Negan thought about that for a moment. “Yes, I suppose you are right.” He had been relying more and more on his outposts to recruit or bring in groups, manage larger ones, and bring in their tributes. This morning he had asked Simon to have the outpost handle Haven before he knew how large it was. Negan had never even met Ezekiel, preferring to have Gavin deal with him and the tributes. This kept Ezekiel in the dark about the size and scope of his operation and had the added benefit of imbuing himself and the Saviors with a sense of mystique. “Although my motivations are more strategic.”  
  
Kate didn’t respond to this, instead choosing to sink into her own thoughts as the minutes and miles rolled by. They were interrupted briefly as she took note of the cleared landslide on the winding mountain road and later as a smaller van veered off the convoy down a side road, probably headed back to whatever outpost it came from. The road they were on took them out of the trees into a flat stretch of highway. In the distance, Kate could see a large concrete structure with smoke stacks peeking above the tree line.   
  
“That is your first look at The Sanctuary, baby doll.” Negan had noticed her staring.   
  
Kate swallowed and felt her stomach drop. These people were not fucking around and she was suddenly very confident in her decision to play this interaction safe. Negan clearly intended to prove that his force could take hers if she pushed her luck.

 

They approached The Sanctuary quicker than Kate expected, whether it was because of the speed of the vehicles or an optical illusion because of the size of the structure she couldn’t say. Concrete spread like a pond for hundreds of feet in every direction split by incredibly high chain link fences and barbed wire. And surrounding the fence, for yards around, were the dead. Some were chained or tied to the fence itself, others to poles and structures around the grounds. Some wandered aimlessly, attracted to the low hum of the dead and the sounds of life behind the walls.   
  
“You like my own little guard dogs?” Negan grinned at her.   
  
Kate nodded appreciatively. “It definitely makes a statement.”  
  
“And what statement might _that_ be, little girl?”  
  
“Don’t fuck with me, I have the dead on my side?”  
  
Negan laughed. “Damn fucking straight.”  
  
The gates of the compound opened and the convoy pulled in. A team of people poured out of double metal doors as Negan jumped from the truck and started barking orders. Trucks opened as Saviors jumped out and began unloading and passing off guns and baskets of vegetables, eggs, and jars of milk. As she exited the truck, Kate was struck by the sheer amount of produce Haven well…produced in a day.   
  
The back of the last truck opened and Dr. Carson jumped out followed by three hooded figures with hands bound in front- the idiotic bastards who killed Negan’s men. They were struggling against their captors. The hoods were ripped off the captives and they were forced to their knees. Suddenly, Negan was in show mode. “Welcome to The Sanctuary!” He gestured, arms open wide, waving Lucille like he was a ringmaster and she his baton. “You sorry fuckers picked the wrong group to fuck with. The rest of them are dead and you, you work for me now."

Kate watched the three survivors of the ill-fated group. The woman who was present at the display that morning was silent but a look of pure hatred graced her face. The two that Kate had turned over to Negan look terrified. One, a man, had a bandage around his arm, the other, a woman, around her head. They silently sobbed.   
  
Negan continued. “I’m Negan and I…am…. _everywhere._ ” Negan turned to the surrounding crowd. “Who are you?” He shouted.  
  
Kate started as the Saviors shouted in unison “I’m Negan!”  
  
Grinning Negan turned back to the subdued captives. “Now it is up to _you_ to decide _who_ the fuck you want to be, how exactly you shits are going to work for me. Because here at The Sanctuary you either work for points or you work for me as part of the fucking wall. But first, I think you sorry sons of bitches need some time to think about what you want for the rest of your lives. Dwight! Simon! Throw them in the hole.” Negan turned to Kate. “I guess now we know where our little tour is going to start! Right this way, darling. Oh! And bring Dr. Carson too.”


	6. Play the Game

Kate followed Negan through the doors into what appeared to be the main gathering place. Dozens, maybe even a hundred people walked around or stood gathered in small groups trading or bartering. When they saw Negan, the immediately bowed to one knee, much to Kate’s surprise. “As you fucking were, people.” Negan lead the group down flights of stairs and through doors to some sort of sub-basement level.

The “hole” was really more of a long dimly lit hallway with doors Kate supposed had once been storage or utility closets. Simon and Dwight opened up some of the cells and jostled the struggling prisoners in and Kate could see that she was right. They were stripped empty of everything. Negan spoke to the prisoners. “Now, I’m going to give you fuckers a day or two to think about who you want to be for the rest of your sorry ass lives. And I expect to hear the _right_ fucking answer.” The doors clanged shut, sealing them in darkness.   
  
Negan walked off towards the opposite end of the hallway, clearly expecting the group to follow him. Another set of stair led them back up to the ground floor and to and a dreary infirmary that in a previous life had been administrative offices of some kind. Now it was occupied by a few beds, an examination table, and two individuals in lab coats. They jumped to attention and then into a kneel as the entered until Negan nodded. Through two interior doors, Kate could see an office/bedroom and a surgery suite.   
  
Negan clapped Dr. Carson on the back and the man visibly flinched. “Welcome to your new home. You have been fucking promoted to head of medical staff.”  
  
Dr. Carson stuttered. “Wha…what?”  
  
Negan grinned at him. “You see, we have been short a doctor for a few months now since I found out that our previous doctor was beating the shit out of his wife and kids.” Negan leaned backward and looked at Kate. “He works on the wall now.”  
  
Dr. Carson paled and Kate interrupted to save him. “Can I see your medical supplies? So I know what you need?”  
  
Negan nodded to the coats. One produced a key and unlocked a nondescript door before handing the key to Dr. Carson. Lit by a single bulb, the room was larger than Kate expected filled with shelves and refrigerators for items that needed to be kept chilled. She and Dr. Carson wandered for a few minutes, examining their contents. Kate picked up a box from a shelf and opened it. She turned to look at Negan. “Medicinal marijuana? That is fucking unexpected.” Kate laughed. “Where did you even get this shit?”  
  
Negan playfully waved a warning finger in her face with a smile. “Oh no _no_ , little girl. You don’t get to know all my fucking secrets.” Kate turned around to place the box back on the shelf and she could feel Negan approach behind her. He whispered in her ear. “It’s fucking bad enough that I am entertaining this little scouting trip of yours. And don’t act for a damn fucking minute like that isn’t what you are doing.”  
  
Kate tensed and breathed deeply, thankful that this was happening in the shadows. “What makes you think that I was fucking trying to hide it?”  
  
Negan chuckled, low, throaty, and sexy. He reached up on the shelf above her head and grabbed a notebook, in the process brushing against her back. Kate shivered.   
  
Negan tossed the notebook to Dr. Carson, who despite being caught unawares, managed to grab it before it hit the floor. “Simon, explain the points system to Dr. Carson and continue the new recruit tour.”   
  
They exited the infirmary and Negan turned to Dwight and pointed at him. Dwight gulped down a fearful gaze and replaced it with steely resolve. “You did good today, Dwighty boy. And to show my fucking appreciation, I’m giving you fifty extra points for your hard work. Keep it up and you might find yourself a Savior one day.” Dwight nodded enthusiastically. “Now go fuck off somewhere else.” Dwight fairly tripped over his own feet trying to decide which direction to head off in.  

Kate was suddenly aware that, despite the fact they were standing in the middle of a busy open room that she and Negan were in fact, quite alone.  "Where to next, baby doll?"

Kate looked up at him over her glasses. "The fuck if I know. This isn't my circus."

Negan crossed his arms in front of his chest, Lucille swinging lazily from one hand and gave her a very sarcastic look that said "Really? Please."

Kate rolled her eyes at him. "Food supplies?"

"Atta girl" Negan strode off, tossing Lucille to a Savior standing watch. "Have Lucille cleaned for me and sent up to my room."

Kate didn't realize she was tense until she felt a wave of relief at Lucille's departure. _Which is ridiculous because he clearly still has a knife and gun on him._

They passed through a door into an inner courtyard where crops were growing and animals were penned up before entering a kitchen and scaring the shit out of a group of people who were unaccustomed to Negan popping up in their domain. Kate could see and hear a cafeteria outside the kitchen doors.

She examined their stores before being led by Negan, who apparently was now content to take the lead, to a garage full of different types of vehicles and areas filled with electronics. As they made their way up flights of stairs, Kate was beginning to piece together the layout. Each floor had a central room or rooms that served some purpose with housing built along the outside walls and sometimes inside walls.

The fourth floor was very quiet and Negan afforded her only a quick peek through the door before shutting it. "This floor is where we keep..." Negan paused. “People who need more long-term persuasion than the hole.” Kate swallowed. "And all our cleaning supplies, clothing, blankets."

The living spaces on the fifth floor were more spacious and looked like they were actually intended to be small apartments with small kitchens. "This floor is more or less barracks. Soldiers, scouts, guards, scavengers, other important people." The delineation between those who chose to live in relative safety in exchange for performing menial tasks and those who worked in more dangerous conditions in exchange for more cushy living arrangements was not lost on Kate.

Negan opened the door to the center room. "And this is our armory."

Any notions or ideas Kate might have had about fighting back or resisting Negan completely disappeared as she took in the sheer amount and variety of the weapons at the Saviors disposal. She whistled low "You clearly do not fucking need my weapons."

Negan laughed. "No, I don't. But I sure as fuck want them and I tend to get what I fucking want." He shut the door to her gaze.

He led her down the hallway to the next flight of stairs. Everyone he passed knelt, as they had on every floor, and it unsettled her.

 Negan opened the door to the sixth floor. "And who lives here?" Kate asked.

"My lieutenants and Saviors, mostly." Negan turned to her with a grin. "And my wives." He winked at Kate.

"Wives...plural?" Kate stared at him.

”Always wanted to be able to fuck a bunch of women. Any set of tits who is willing gets to live a life of luxury and doesn’t have to work for points, hell, work at all in exchange for working the pole.” Negan made a suggestive gesture around his middle.   
  
Kate rolled her eyes. “Lovely. Had many takers?”  
  
Negan opened up a door, nodding to Saviors who stood guard. “See for yourself!”  
  
The room, in the middle of a fucking factory, was opulent. Rich draperies hung on the walls and luxurious carpets graced the floor. Antique or ornate furniture lay scattered around the room and there was a very lavish bar in a corner. A television in the corner quietly played some sort of old television show. Three women lounged around flipping through magazines, books, and painting nails. All three of them were wearing short, black cocktail dresses. One was black and two were white- one with jet black hair and one very pale with red hair. And they were all impossibly pretty. They perked up when Negan came in the room. “Hello, my lovelies.”  
  
“Hi, Negan!” They giggled in unison. Kate could tell that the reaction was not completely genuine, at least not from all of them, and she wondered if Negan knew it, or if he knew it, did he even care. Kate watched as Negan gave each of them a long, lingering kiss in turn.   
  
The wives noticed Kate standing in the doorway. The black-haired wife began to wrinkle her face in disgust before she caught herself. “Who are you?”

_So it’s going to be THAT way, bitch._ Kate thought to herself, giving her a once over.

“She isn’t a new wife is she, Negan?” The redhead whined and pursued her lips.  
  
_And we have bitch number two._

The petite black girl surprised Kate by chastising the other two. “Tanya, Frankie, don’t be rude. I’m Josie.” She waved at Kate. “Enjoying The Sanctuary?”  
  
Negan laughed. “Ladies, as much as I am fucking flattered that you are jealous of me, there is _more_ than enough of me to keep _all_ of you _extremely_ fucking satisfied.” He looked at Kate. “Kate here is from another group who will be working for me and she wanted the _grand_ tour.”

Tanya pouted. “Will we be seeing you later?”  
  
Negan gently tipped her chin up with a still gloved finger. He smiled very warmly at Tanya. “I’m sure you will, baby doll.” He dropped his hand and turned to walk back out the door, causing Kate to take a step back. Negan nonchalantly crooked a finger at her as he walked away. “Come along, little girl.” Negan’s wives giggled at her as she bolted to keep pace.   
  
“I resent you making me look like a fucking pet in front of you little harem there.” Kate glared at him sideways.  
  
“You are fucking lucky I didn’t pat you on the head or some shit. I have an image to uphold.” Negan threw open the door at the end of the hallway and indicated that Kate should enter the stairwell.  
  
The seventh floor was smaller than the others. There were obviously fewer rooms and two pairs of Saviors stood guard at each end. Whereas the other floors were bare concrete, this one was tiled. Big, wide windows ran down the entire length of one side of the hallway, giving Kate a view of the front of The Sanctuary gate and beyond. It was breathtaking. “Wow…” She whispered.   
  
“I know. Isn’t it fucking spectacular?”

They stood in silence for a moment. “I take it this is where you live?” Kate asked, not looking at Negan.  
  
“And work.” Negan leaned back and looked at her. “Wanna peek under the hood?” He bit his lip.   
  
Kate crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a very sarcastic look that said “Really? Please.” Parroting the expression he had given her earlier. This minor act of rebellion was not lost on Negan and he chuckled at her.   
  
“Second door. But first, you need to give these fine Saviors your fucking weapons.” Kate started to protest but Negan stopped her. “You will get them fucking back when you leave. You may be fucking little, little girl, but I not stupid enough to be fucking alone in any room with you armed." He held out his hand."Gimme."

Kate unsheathed the two knives at her hips and handed them to the closest Savior, hilt first, never taking her gaze off Negan. He looked at her very pointedly. Kate sighed and reached up under the back of her shirt and withdrew the handgun. She popped out the magazine, showed it to him, and handed it to the other Savior. “It’s not even loaded.”  
  
Negan open one-half of a set of double doors and Kate entered into an executive boardroom with wall to wall deep burgundy carpeting. The massive table was scratched and scuffed from God knows what Negan and his Saviors would do in here. Dusty AV equipment sat on a cart in the corner and an old pull down projection screen graced the wall.   
  
The carpet continued through another set of doors and into the most bizarrely gothic bedroom Kate had ever seen. Everything was shades of red, black, and gold. The massive king sized 4 poster bed and bedding was black. The couches in a seating area were sleek black suede or pleather. Red draperies hung from the bed and the windows. Gold ornate lamps and candelabras sat on every surface

  
“The whole thing was a fucking _boring_ executive office suite before I spruced it up.” He smiled at Kate. “Whadafucking think?”  
  
“I think it fucking looks like the set of a high-budget porno.” Kate cringed as she said it without thinking.” Negan was leaning back and giving her a very surprised look. “You know, especially with the black pleather couch.” She said, sheepishly.   
  
Negan looked at her a few moments longer. “You know, that is _exactly_ the fucking aesthetic I was going for.”

  
_Aesthetic?_ “Well, you fucking nailed it.” Kate looked around. “Was this a waiting area?”  
  
Negan nodded. “For this hoity-fucking-toity office.” He pushed open another door. There was a rich mahogany desk, full bookshelves, and, of course, a black leather office chair. Negan looked her up and down. “Bathroom is through there if you are interested.”  
  
Kate decided to take advantage of this. She flipped on the light. _How is even this bathroom black?_ All the cabinetry was in dark gray tones and the massive claw foot tub was painted black around the base. All the fixtures were bright gold. Kate looked at her watch. _4:30pm._ There was blood on the face and she gently wiped it off with a thumb before turning on the water in the sink and scrubbing her arms, face, and neck the best she could.   
  
Negan was standing behind the bar when she came out. Feeling a little bold, Kate sat at the counter and leaned her crossed arms on it. “Buy me a fucking drink?”  
  
Negan was pouring himself a drink from a decanter. He turned his head to look at her and raised it. “Whiskey?”  
  
Kate grimaced. “Whiskey fucks me up, makes me really weird.”  
  
“That sounds like a _very_ good reason to drink whiskey.” He winked at her.  
  
Kate shook her head. “Got any gin and tonic?”   
  
“Tonic might be a little flat.” Negan reached under the bar and pulled out a bottle of Bombay Sapphire and a half empty bottle of tonic.

Kate’s eyes lit up. "Shit....make it a double then."

Negan poured her a drink over ice. "So, now that you have fucking seen The Sanctuary, thoughts?"

Kate took a drink and winced at the cool burn. "What kind of factory pre-outbreak had actual dorm style housing built into it?"

"Damned if I know, though there seems to be a lot of equipment for melting shit. It was awfully fucking convenient, though.”

  
Kate nodded. “It seems that survival is a lot about finding the right fucking place at the right fucking time.” She sighed. “This place is massive, Negan. No wonder your people treat you like a fucking god.” _Or cult leader._ She thought. “And you have outposts?”  
  
“Yes, but don’t fucking bother asking me how many or where.”   
  
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She took another long drink. “So any…arrangement we make, would I be dealing with you directly or one of these outposts?”  
  
“Outpost would probably be organizing pickups. Some do them weekly. In your case, probably monthly.”  
  
Kate continued. “How exactly does your points system work?”  
  
Negan shrugged. “Pretty fucking simple. You live behind the walls and exchange safety for low points. Those who do more important or dangerous jobs get more points and better shit. My Saviors work and I keep track of what they take but they don’t earn points. They _earn_ what they take. Except the wives. They don’t work for points.” He took a swig of his drink. “Or anything.”  
  
Kate was about to ask another question when a soft knock on the door interrupted her. Negan went to open it and Kate took the opportunity to look out the windows framed by black drapes. It too offered expansive views and looked down on the roof of the floor below. It was covered in all manner of solar panels. _Well, that explains how they have power._  
  
A rather obese man entered followed by a short blonde women with a barcode looking tattoo on her neck. The blonde carried a wooden tray with a selection of meats, cheeses, nuts, and crackers, which she placed on the coffee table. The man carried a bottle of white wine, two glasses, and Lucille.   
  
“Fat Joey! I see you have brought me my dirty girl. Were you kind to her?” Negan grinned at him.

  
“Yes, sir.” Joey answered with the tone of a man who had had this exchange several times but was desperately trying to hide it.   


Negan dismissed the pair with a casual wave of the hand. He gave Lucille a few swings and gently leaned her at the end of the bed as the door shut behind them.   
  
Kate gestured to the spread. “I got to admit, I was not fucking expecting this. Classy.”  
  
“Hey, if I am going to be treated like a fucking king, I am going to eat like a fucking king.” He used a cheese knife to point around the room. “And live like a fucking king.”  
  
Kate sat down on the other side of the coffee table, across from Negan. She picked up a salted almond and slowly popped it into her mouth. “So, about your wives.”  
  
“What about them?”  
  
“Like what happens if you are interested in someone and it’s not mutual or if someone becomes you wife and then doesn’t want to anymore?  
  
Negan moved to open the wine. “Like I said before, I don’t condone rape. And further, I don’t want to fuck a woman who doesn’t want me to fuck her. I don’t go looking for offers, they come to me.” He struggled with the cork for a moment before it popped. “A wife is allowed to say no, usually another one will say yes. Or if not I have my right-hand man.” For the briefest of moments, Kate thought Negan was inferring that he and Simon had a sexual relationship with each other. Seeing her moment of confusion Negan literally held up his right hand.  
  
“Ah…okay.” _He meant masturbation. Of course_  
  
“And if someone wants to leave a life of luxury, they are more than welcome to go back to work for points.” Negan poured two glasses and handed one to Kate. “They just can’t cheat on me and fuck other people.”

“So they are welcome to leave at any time as long as the forfeit safety and the ability to have relationships with anyone else?”  
  
“They can have relationships, they just can’t fuck other people.”  
  
“Isn’t that kind of coercive?”  
  
“They had a choice and they made it. No one fucking forced them into it.”  
  
Kate considered this for a moment before deciding that pushing the argument was not worth it. “Hmm. So…the tribute…”  
  
Negan looked at her and wondered what she was thinking. “You do realize that I still want half your fucking crap?”  
  
Kate laughed. “Yes. And you know that I am not fucking giving you half my shit. Do you realize that the actual Savior only asked for 10% of tribute? Why should I give you more?”   
  
Negan’s face darkened. “Because not doing so would be a _fucking…bad…idea,_ little girl.”  
  
She looked at him thoughtfully. “Haven is of more use to you if you allow me to maintain productive functionally.” She sighed. “I know how the damn world works now, Negan. We have a weird hybrid of technology in 19th-century conditions, in a 15th-century feudal structure, and most of the people still try to cling to 18th-century democratic ideals. I don’t have a problem treating you as my ‘feudal lord,’” She used air quotes. “So to speak. It would be stupid not to. You have far superior fighting numbers than I do.” Kate smiled. “And I’m not feeling particularly fucking suicidal. Subjugating me, subjugating Haven, makes no sense for either of us. What makes sense is a political alliance of sorts.”  
  
Negan looked amused. “And what _exactly_ does your idea of a political alliance entail?”  
  
“As promised, you provide protection if needed. Which of course, protects your investment. In exchange, Haven will provide you with soldiers…” Negan laughed and Kate gave him an angry look. “Will provide you with soldiers should you ever need them. We will give you 10% of all our current food, medicine, and weapons stores. Trust me, it’s a lot of shit.” She put up a finger to stop him from interrupting. “AND starting next month you get 25% of everything new we find, make, or gather.”  
  
Negan considered this for a moment. “And why would I fucking agree to this arrangement?”  
  
Kate took a deep breath and put her glass on the table. She clasped her hands together and steeple her fingers. “Because in exchange for agreeing to these terms, I will show my…gratitude by becoming one of your wives.”  
  
Negan clearly was not expecting her to say this because he choked on his wine and splashed some into his beard. “What? Shit! Fuck!”  
  
Kate leaned back into the couch. “Come on Negan. I don’t think for a damn minute that all this innuendo has been completely for show. I can feel you watching my fucking ass. I know you want to fuck me.” Kate blatantly looked Negan up and down with an appraising look that made him feel exposed for the first time in a very long time. “And you look like you fuck well and might actually give a damn about getting a woman off." She took a sip of wine "Even if the only reason is to feed your massive ego about your sexual prowess." Kate looked up and thought for a moment. "And if I’m being honest, I want to fuck you. I just want to get something out of it.”

  
Negan gave her an amused expression and ran his tongue across his teeth. “What makes you think I will accept your terms?”

  
Kate cocked at eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes. “Because it’s fucking perfect. I don’t care about your other wives and I’m not asking for monogamy. I get to keep more of my stuff and you get a wife you can fuck who doesn’t live with you, doesn’t nag you for shit, and actually works for you and gives you things.” Kate paused and looked Negan in the eyes. “And because I know something that you don’t.”  
  
Negan narrowed his eyes at Kate. He spoke very softly, annunciating every word. “ _And…just…what…might…that…be?”_  
  
“I’m a virgin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the drama of harem romances. I will not apologize for borrowing themes from this genre but I promise, it will be chill.


	7. The Width of a Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Season Finale Day! 
> 
> Usually I would hold off until I was farther into the next chapter for this update but I decided to post today. Hold on to your butts cause this one is a long one! But it is DEFINITELY going to be worth it.

"I'm a virgin."

The words hung heavy in the air and Negan could feel his dick uncomfortably stir under his zipper.

"How is that even possible?" Negan swallowed hard.

Kate tapped a finger against her lip thoughtfully. "Well, before relationships were not a priority. I was in school or working on my career. And after everything ended for the longest time I was busy or the majority of men around here who weren't total idiots were related to me.” She grimaced. “Besides, there is a certain double standard between men and women. You can fuck below your station and still command respect. I cannot.”

”How do I know you aren’t lying to me?”  
  
“Please, you aren’t King Henry the fucking eighth needing proof that my ‘maidenhood’ is intact or some shit like that. Besides, would it really make a difference if I was?”  
  
“No, probably not.” _Holyshitholyshitholyshit_. Negan was still struggling to comprehend how no one had ever had sex with this girl. “How..." Negan trailed off unsure of how to continue the question that popped into his mind.

"Do you mean how was I not raped?" Negan winced but nodded. It was a harsh truth that many women in this world had not escaped unscathed by men who, emboldened by their circumstances, enjoyed raping others. "Well, for the most part, I have lived in safety in Haven. Not that there were not people who tried, at the beginning of it all when I spent more time scavenging. But you know that rape is all about having power over the vulnerable. So my Valkyries and I learned very quickly to act powerless as a last resort and when they aren't expecting it..." Kate reached behind her back, pulled out twin small knives, and stabbed them down into the cheese board where they became firmly embedded. "They die." Kate shrugged.

"Fucking shit!" Negan instinctively jumped up over the coffee table, knocking food flying. Gripping her wrists together above her head with one hand and pressing an arm across her throat he pinned her to the couch with his body. “WHAT THE _HELL_ WAS THAT!” He roared.  
  
Negan could read fear, yes, one her face but also defiance and arousal. Kate didn’t struggle. “If I wanted to fucking kill you, Negan, you would be dead. I’ve made that point _abundantly_ clear.” There was a coolness to her voice.  
  
Negan relaxed his grip on her ever so slightly. “I should fucking kill you for that.”  
  
The door slammed open as a pair of Saviors burst into the room, rifles up. They stopped as they took in the scene before them. The table, overturned, couch shoved back, and Negan straddling a young woman.  
  
“Uh…is everything okay here, sir?” One asked, unsure. “We heard a… noise.”  
  
Negan sat up, releasing Kate’s arms. “Yes, everything here is fucking _peachy_.”  
  
The other Savior looked at Kate. She smiled warmly at him and gave a little wave. Any question he had died on his lips as he smiled back.  
  
_SonofaBITCH!_ Negan knew she had him at a disadvantage. He composed his face and gave the pair a grin. “If you aren’t going to stay and watch, you can fucking go now.”  
  
The Savior smiling at Kate snapped back to attention. “Uh…no…we will be outside if you need anything.” He pushed his partner out the door.  
  
“Well, now I know that your Saviors take your ‘No Rape’ policy seriously.” Negan looked down and Kate. She was nonchalantly picking her at her fingernails. She laughed. “Those two didn’t quite know what to do.”  
  
Negan grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Kate let out a gasp as he got in her face, lips pursed in anger, so close their noses were almost touching. “What the _FUCK_ are you trying to do?” Negan was seething.  
  
“Don’t fucking underestimate me, Negan. You’re just mad at yourself because you didn’t think to have them pat me down.”  
  
Negan couldn’t decide if he was angrier that she had managed to pull a set of knives on him or that she was right.  
  
Kate maneuvered herself into a position to whisper in his ear. “Underestimating a woman is going to get you killed someday, Negan.” She wiggled her hips under him suggestively.

Negan pulled back and looked at her for a moment, trying to come up with a retort. “Fuck it.” He pressed his lips to hers without warning and Kate squeaked in surprised, but she did not turn away. In fact, she surprised him by deepening the kiss and letting out a pleased hum. Slowly, Negan moved his hands from her shoulders. One wound its way under her head to pull at her hair and the other snaked under her arched back.  
  
Kate yelped as Negan, without warning, leaned back and flipped her upright and into his lap. Her arms now free, Kate wrapped them around his neck and ran her fingers through Negan’s hair. She outright moaned and tugged at it as Negan broke off to leave a trail of burning kisses down her neck. Negan grinned into her throat but Kate didn't see it because her eyes were closed. She leaned over his shoulder and laughed low. "Is this your way of saying yes to my proposal?" Kate asked breathily. She began to kiss down his neck in return.

Negan was starting to lose his concentration as he could feel himself becoming hard. He laughed. "I fucking suppose so. That is if you agree to one tiny little thing all my other wives have."

"Hmm?" She murmured into his neck.

"No birth control."

Kate sat upright, immediately broken out of her haze. "What?"

Negan smiled at her. "Come on, little girl. You have a whole fucking royal family to take over if needed. I just have little old me." He fake pouted. "I need an heir. So no condoms, no birth control, no morning after shit. Nothing. And there would be very... _serious..._ consequences if I were to find out you were doing otherwise." He looked into her deep-set blue eyes but could not read what he saw. "Do you still want to fucking do this?"

Kate swallowed. "Yes." She whispered

  
“Great!” And with that, Negan abruptly stood, dumping Kate off his lap and onto the floor where she landed on the knocked over food and wine.

“Fuck!” Kate yelled. She looked up at him. “What the hell was that for?”

  
Negan looked down on her and offered a hand. “As much as I fucking enjoy the sight of you on your knees, if you are going to be my wife we need to let everyone know." He pulled her up to her feet.

"Nonononono...I don't" Kate protested.

"Look, obviously you won’t be living here but I expect we will be seeing each other monthly and some of the times you may be here. So people here need to know who you are. The wives command a certain level of respect here. Because screwing with one of them is screwing with me."

"So you want to make everyone scared of me."

"No, I want them to know what's mine. Come on."

Negan had Kate follow him down to the sixth floor and to a vacant room. "This will be yours. When you stay here. The other wives all share the middle suite."

"Isn't that going to seem preferential and make me enemies?" Kate asked

"Maybe, but acting on it would be fucking stupid. Besides, you are more important than them."

Negan watched a look of surprise cross Kate's face. "My wives largely sit there and look pretty and wait for me to fuck them. Not that I don't really appreciate it, but they took the easy way out. You leveraged your...”  He looked behind her. “Assets for something bigger. Now, that I can respect.”

Kate was stunned by this admission.

Negan laughed. "Shocked? Don’t be. I value intelligence when I see it." He handed her the key to the room and strode out the door. "You coming?"

They went down to the eerily quiet fourth floor. "Why are we here?" Kate asked, softly.

"For this." Negan opened a door into the middle room revealing rows and rows of clothes. It looked like the contents of department store warehouse. An attendant or guard sat at a table cataloging items and mulling over paperwork. He made to kneel but Negan waved him off. "You clothes are covered in shit and I want you in something better looking for the meeting. And you need a wardrobe for here. I expect you to fucking dress like the others. "

"You do realize I have like, forty pounds on those girls?”  
  
“I’m sure you will find something you like. Dresses are that way.” Negan pointed down one of the aisles. “I have to check on something else.” And he disappeared.  
  
Kate ran a finger down a long rack of black or mostly black dresses. The sizes started super small and went incredibly large. Kate couldn't decide if it was just because this was for all clothes or if Negan was just being prepared for any woman who would say yes to him. She found several that appeared to be in her size and was looking at them thoughtfully when Negan appeared suddenly from the other end of the row.

"Shit! You scared me!" Kate jumped.

Negan produced a small jewelry box from behind his back. "Here." he handed it to her.

Kate opened it up. It held a collection of studs, earrings, and necklaces of different precious gems. "Oh my God..." She gave him an unreadable look. "Why?"

Negan smiled. "Because it’s part of the uniform for the job." Negan looked at the dresses on the hangers. “This is what you have picked?”

Kate closed the lid of the box and nodded to him. “I can’t decide which one.”  
  
“Take them all, it’s not like anyone else can really use them. Or afford them.”  
  
Kate draped them all over and arm and followed Negan as he walked towards the front of the room. Laid out on the table was a display box of rings. She gave him a quizzical look. “Well, if you are going to be one of my wives, you need a ring.”  
  
Kate picked up quite a few before settling on one. Negan thought it was tasteful and elegant without being huge and gaudy. The band was white gold and diamonds and a light purple stone alternated all around it. Kate held it up for him to examine. “I like amethysts. They are my, February’s, birthstone.”  
  
Negan raised an eyebrow at her and took it from her fingers. “How old are you, little girl?”  
  
“I turned twenty-five not long ago.” She looked at him. “How old are you, Negan?”  
  
“I will be fifty towards the end of November.” _Fuck, I feel kind of old now._

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. She held up the clothes. “Now what?”  
  
“Back to my room.” He reached into her hair and pulled out a chunk of some kind of gore. “You need to get cleaned up for later.”  
  
Kate blushed with embarrassment. “I didn’t realize I missed that.”  
  
Negan gestured to himself. He still had streaks of blood on his clothes from their little walker slaughter earlier. “I have some shit to take care of myself.”

  
Kate silently followed Negan back to his room. In their absence, the evidence of the struggle had been cleaned up and the furniture straightened.  Several lamps had been turned on to illuminate the darkening space. The two knives lay on the table. Negan picked them up. They were light but solid. "How the shit did you keep these hidden?"

Kate lifted up her shirt to just under her breasts, revealing a corset like garment. There were various spots around it where one could insert a variety of knives. "Those ones go in the back." She turned to indicate the two spots on either side of the ties. "Also makes for good protection from walker bites." She turned to him, eyes narrowed. "Put them back in?"

Negan considered giving them back to her for the briefest if seconds before shaking his head and smiling. "I think these are better off with your other weapons."

Anger flashed across Kate's face before she quieted it. Negan opened the door and handed the knives to one of the saviors. "Put these with the rest of her shit." He said before shutting the door.

He looked at Kate who looked vaguely displeased. "I'm still not fucking stupid, little girl. Stay put. I'm going to put different clothes and get this shit off my face." He picked up Lucille and pointed her at Kate. "Don't leave." And with that, he disappeared into the other room.

 _If I can't fucking leave, I might as well take a look around._ She started with the bookshelves, examining the titles. They were an odd mixture of pulp fiction sci-fi horror, westerns, classics, and philosophy and religious texts. The bible had a bookmark ribbon in the middle and Kate opened it. _I wonder if he actually reads all of these. Probably keeps them around to look fancy._   A picture fluttered out of the bible and landed face up on the floor. It was an old photo of a pretty black woman in her late thirties. Kate flipped it over and read the handwritten dedication on the back. "To Negan, ❤ Your baby doll." Kate suddenly felt like she was intruding on something private. She replaced the photo and put the bible back on the shelf exactly as it had bee.

Kate quietly crept into the office. She could hear Negan humming some classic rock song she knew, but couldn't put her finger on. The shelves around the desk held binders labeled with titles like "March Recruits" "Weapons Inventory" and "Tributes." She was curious but didn't dare to touch them. Behind the door was a chest of drawers that a slight open revealed clothes.

Finding all the drawers on the desk locked, Kate went back to the bedroom. She was surprised to find that the bedside table drawers were unlocked but a little more surprised to find out what they held.

* * *

 

Negan walked out of his shower to find Kate flipping through his copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and sipping at a small serving of scotch.

"Made yourself at home?" Negan was wearing a white cotton t-shirt, a different pair of dark jeans belted low at the waist, and he was barefoot. His wet hair was slicked back and a towel hung around his neck. He threw the towel and his dirty jacket on the couch

She looked up. "Mhmm." And went back to her reading.

Negan looked at her thoughtfully. "And did you find anything interesting when you went snooping around in here?"

It was a wild guess on his part but the rewarding blush told him he was right. "Little girl, if it isn't fucking locked up, I don't care who finds it."

 "To be honest, I'm more surprised by your eclectic reading library and the religious books than by the porn, rope, and leather handcuffs in your bedside drawers."

Negan laughed, loud. "I got to know all the rules before I know which ones are fucking worth breaking or keeping." He looked at her. "Interested?"

Kate thought for a moment. "Intrigued is a better word for the moment." She closed the book and lifted herself out of the leather chair. "If you will excuse me..." She picked up a dress draped over the back of the couch.

Negan grabbed her arm as she brushed by. "Hold up, little girl. Where are you going?"

"To shower also?"

"Oh no, not before I see what you picked out to wear tonight." Negan plopped down on the couch and put his feet on the table. "Go on."

Kate pursed her lips in annoyance before putting the dress down. She reached down, unzipped her boots and pulled her socks off before quickly unbuckling her knife belt.

"Slower," Negan commanded softly.

Kate paused and looked at him straight on. She didn't break eye contact as she slowly rolled her leggings down and kicked them off before taking the bottom of her tunic and lifting it up her body and over her head.

Negan lifted an eyebrow at the corset and her matching black bra and panties. "Well...well...well...”

Kate rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. I put these on this morning for myself well before you showed up." She grabbed the dress, stepped into and zipped it up. "What do you think?"

The dress was solid black up to the neck where it ended in the appearance of a halter before becoming all black lace down the shoulders and arms to the hands. "That looks fan-fucking-tastic.”

"Am I allowed to go now, Negan?"

He nodded and Kate stalked to the bathroom.

Negan sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was not the way he saw today playing out when he woke up this morning. Negan was pretty happy with the bargain they had struck today but didn't quite know what to do with Kate. She was frightened by him that much was obvious, but she didn't let fear overwhelm her. She had multiple opportunities to attempt to cause him harm or even kill him but she hadn’t taken them. Negan knew that as much as he was trying to toy with her and get her off her game she was trying to do the same to him. And it was working.

His balls were damn near blue from throwing the brakes on their little make-out session but it was worth unsettling her. Negan removed the ring from his jacket pocket and contemplated it. His other wives were material creatures who craved the finer things. Kate, not so much. There was a practicality to her proposal and agreement to being his wife that he appreciated. He transferred it to his jeans pocket.

Negan jotted down a list of thing he needed. Opening the door, he handed the piece of paper and the jacket to a Savior. "I need this cleaned and these things on this list within the next twenty minutes. And someone find Simon and tell him I want to talk to him."

When Simon entered the room he found Negan flipping through a book on the table. "You sent for me, Negan? I was told to give this to you." Simon handed over a basket containing women's clothes and beauty products.

"Yes! Stay here." Negan took the items and disappeared into the other room.  
  
Simon heard a shriek and the unintelligible hum of conversation before Negan reappeared with the basket. “What was that? Is that Kate...taking a _shower?_ ”  
  
Negan put an arm around Simon’s shoulders. “Simon, I need you to get everyone assembled for a meeting.” He grinned at him. “I have a new _wife_ to introduce.”  
  
Simon balked at Negan. “You have got to be shitting me.”  
  
“Nope! That little girl does… _not_ …DISAPPOINT! Came up with it all on her fucking own and made me an offer I could not fucking refuse. Said she would become a wife in exchange for taking less of their shit.”  
  
Simon laughed. “Well, that is certainly unexpected but I believe it.” He ran a thumb through his mustache. “It’s going to take me a while to get the word out and get everyone together.”  
  
Negan looked at the clock on the wall. The time read 7:30 pm. “You have an hour and a half.”  
  
Simon smiled. “Will do, boss.”

* * *

 

Kate was enjoying the shower, finding it to be quite relaxing to have a true moment to herself and then Negan intruded.

"Knock, knock!" He said as he threw open the door. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Ahh!" Kate shrieked, surprised. "What the FUCK are you doing!?" She peeked her head out around the side of the curtain.  
  
Negan looked at her in surprise. He was carrying a basket. “Why the fuck are you wearing glasses in the shower?”  
  
“Because I’m a blind motherfucker without them and I can’t see what I am doing.”  
  
Negan gave her a lascivious grin. “And the fuck do you need sight to do in the shower?”  
  
Kate rolled her eyes and ducked her head back inside. “Why are you in here?”

“Because I thought you might fucking enjoy a brush and a hairdryer? Also, I have to take a piss and this is my bathroom."

Kate sighed as she heard him place items on the counter, unzip his fly, and relieve himself. "Are you done? I’m almost finished."

She heard him zipping back up. "It’s all yours, little girl," he said, shutting the door.

Kate wondered if Negan realized she was using his soap as she lathered and rinsed her hair. _I’m going to smell like a man after this._ Kate liked it, though. It made her feel needy and wanting. She let herself enjoy another minute or two of the hot water before turning it off. Kate wrapped herself and her hair in the towels she had found stowed under the sink.  


Negan had indeed left her a brush and a dryer. But that was not all he had left. A bag of miscellaneous beauty products also sat on the counter. _I haven’t worn makeup in quite some time. That will be nice._ A pair of shiny black “fuck me” heels sat on the floor. Negan had replaced her underwear with an absolutely ridiculous and impractical matching set of red lingerie. _You have got to be shitting me._ Both the shoes and underwear were in her size. _How the fuck did he accurately guess these?_ It was unsettling.  
  
And that was when Kate noticed that something was gone. Negan had stolen her dress.  
  
“SONOFA _BITCH_!!!! ARRRGGGG!” Kate sat on the seat of the toilet and weighed her options. She could go out there in the underwear, the towel, or both. She could also ask him for it back. _Like I would ever do that. That is probably what he wants._ Kate sighed to herself and began to brush out and dry her hair as she contemplated the decision. Having made her decision she wiped condensation off the mirror and began to apply her war paint. Kate looked at herself in the mirror. _Not bad._

* * *

 

“SONOFA _BITCH_!!!” Kate screamed from the bathroom.  
  
Negan smiled to himself.He waited for her to say something else but surprisingly, nothing ever came. He was sitting with his back towards the door going over paperwork as he waited for her. After a while, Negan heard the door open. From the difference in the sound of her steps, he could tell she was wearing the heels. _Good._ “Did you like the present I left you.  
  
Kate put her arms around his neck from behind and bent over to whisper in his ear “Mhmm.” Her hair tickled the back of his neck.  
  
Negan threw the notebook he was writing in on the table along with the reading glasses he was wearing. “Let me see.”  
  
Kate straightened up, removing her arms from around Negan’s neck. She kept a hand on his shoulder and trailed it across his back as she came around the side of the couch into his sightline. “I really love the heels Negan. I am just a _huge_ sucker for a pretty pair of shoes. What do you think?"

Negan had dealt the hand this round. He expected her to bet the small blind and come out angry and in a towel. If he was lucky she might play the big blind and wear the lingerie and pretend like that was what she had been planning all along. He did not expect her to raise the stakes.

Except for the heels, Kate was totally nude and stood there with her hands on her hips. She winked at him.

Negan took a moment to collect his thoughts and look her up and down. He had learned long ago that there was no such thing as physical perfection and the stress of living in the after took its toll on a body. Hell, ten years ago He had been positively baby-faced but now he sagged. It largely didn’t matter what you had instead it was what you did with it. Kate was not an exception to this. Her breasts, disproportionately small to the rest of her body sat high on her chest. They led into a short torso and soft undefined stomach, followed by a plump patch of pale curls. Her hourglass figure ended in wide hips, thighs, and that ass that just kept coming. Old, faded stretch marks gave evidence to a growth spurt of a time long ago and cellulite gave the appearance of dough that Negan felt was in need of earnest kneading. But damn did she clearly not care. Kate was putting it on display with not a hint if self-consciousness, embarrassment, or uncertainty. She liked the way she looked.

"Jesus Christ damn, little girl." He ran a hand through his hair. "You are fucking full of surprises." Negan reached out to take her much smaller hands in his and guided Kate to stand before him. Dropping them, he placed his hands on her hips and ran them up her body as he stood, trailing goosebumps, and Kate, eyes closed, let out a small satisfied hum. He cupped her face, leaning back to look at her. Kate opened her eyes. Her gaze was dark and heavy. So was his.

"You know, little girl, you put me in quite a fucking predicament." Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "You are so tempting, but I don't believe in sex before marriage."

Kate laughed at his grin. "You are so full of bullshit." She entwined her arms around his and pressed her body to his. "Fuck me."

Negan groaned, capturing Kate's mouth in a burning kiss. Negan found that Kate was not a particularly passive kisser and her enthusiasm match his. He found her to be quite handsy which was unexpected and arousing. His tongue probed at Kate’s mouth, she parted her lips, and Negan took his first possession of her. He could feel her fumbling at his belt. Kate gasped as Negan lifted her up under the ass. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, kicked off her heels, and began to grind against his buckle. Negan laughed and walked over to the bed. “You are too fucking eager, little girl.”  
  
“Eager…to…get…fucked,” Kate said breathlessly.  
  
Negan was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his concentration as his growing erection was getting more painful in the confines of his jeans. He unceremoniously tossed Kate onto the bed. Turning to the bar he poured himself a glass of water and downed it.

"What? No whiskey?" Kate, propped up with her arms, looked at him over the swell if her breasts. They were stretched, nipples, hidden before, now taut with her arousal.

"Whiskey dick is a real thing, little girl. And I fully intend on being able to rise to the occasion.” Negan pulled a high-backed wooden chair from the corner. Positioning it at the foot of the bed he sat down. "Now, show me how you fuck yourself.”  
  
“Excuse me?” Kate flushed red.  
  
“Come on now, Kate.” Negan leaned back in his chair. “You may have never fucked a person before, but I don’t believe for a fucking minute that you are not _well_ acquainted with yourself. So show me how you ‘Jill off,’ ‘pet the pussy,’”  
  
Kate interrupted “Rub one out?”  
  
Negan nodded and grinned.  
  
Kate slid herself back on the bed until she was propped up among a pile of pillows. She ran her hands up her body to tentatively cup her breasts. She kneaded them a few moments before wetting a finger in her mouth and slowly encircling each nipple until it stood at a hard peak. Kate, having never taken her eyes off Negan, began to pull and twist at them.  
  
Negan watched in rapt attention, occasionally rubbing his member through his clothes, as Kate began to moan under her own ministrations. Her gaze began to glaze over as she sensuously slid a hand down her torso to tangle her fingers in the patch of curls between her thighs. Slowly, Kate spread her legs to caress her sex.  
  
_Fuck…me…_ Negan’s breath hitched as Kate revealed the shaved lips of her pussy. They were red with the evidence of her arousal. She ran a finger down her slit and brought it to her lips to taste herself. Negan growled low. Unable to contain himself, he unbuckled his belt and furtively unzipped his pants. Negan’s aching cock sprang free and he began to casually stroke himself.

Kate’s eyes widened but she said nothing, too caught up in her own actions. One hand had a death grip on the sheets as a finger from the other moved across her clit in increasingly harder and more erratic strokes. Kate’s head was thrown back, her eyes were closed and she was openly moaning and gyrating her hips, seeking release. “Fuck…” She squeaked.  
  
Negan could tell she was close to orgasm. “Stop.” The command was soft but forceful.  
  
Kate was jolted by the intrusion. “What?” Her chest heaved with heavy breaths.  
  
“Not yet, little girl. You don’t get to come yet.”  
  
Kate whimpered her dissension but did as she was told. Negan stood up, pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Kate took notice of his salt and pepper mat of chest hair and thin dark trail disappearing into his pants. He crawled across the bed, slowly covering her body with his until they were eye to eye. “I want to make sure you are _extra_ prepared for what’s coming.” Negan nipped at her earlobe and lightly tickled her sensitive nipples with his chest. “Consider this a punishment for your little stunt earlier.”  
  
Kate groaned, a mix of pleasure, longing, and protest. She ran her hands up his arms and down his back. Negan responded by kissing her once more and biting her lip. He trailed kisses down her throat before moving lower to nip and lick at her breasts. Kate tangled her fingers in his hair, urging him on. He tugged at a nipple. “Ahhh!” She arched her back and bucked into him. Lower and lower he moved, nipping at the skin of her stomach.  
  
In one move, Negan backed off the bed, grabbed Kate by the ankles, slid her to the edge, and threw her legs over his shoulders. Kate looked up at him from half closed heavy-lidded eyes. She moaned as he parted her to his gaze. She was very wet and her engorged clit glistened, tantalizing. Kate twitched involuntarily in anticipation. Negan surprised her by gently nuzzling at her sex, inhaling deeply. He began to swirl his tongue in slow figure eights, never quite touching her where she needed it most. Negan inserted one, then two fingers inside her and sucked hard on her. Kate cried out, grabbing desperately at anything she could reach- the bed, pillows, and her breasts- as her crisis built. Negan could tell she was close as her legs stiffened and he withdrew his digits and smiled at her.  
  
Kate whined, high pitched. “Bastard! Why!?” She moved to touch herself but Negan grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head to stop her.  
  
“Because I like taking my time. It makes fucking so much better.” He thrust his partially exposed cock against her and she humped at him wildly. Negan laughed, releasing her. “And I’m still wearing too many goddamn clothes.”  
  
Kate grabbed at his pants but he smacked her hands away. “Not this time, little girl. This is all about you.”  
  
“All about me? THE FUCK THIS IS!” She was so angry and so horny and so desperate. Negan was amused but did not appreciate her yelling at him.

  
“The only thing I want to hear you screaming at me in my room is my fucking name, little girl.” Negan now was finally nude, his cock wet too. It was heavy in his hands and he let Kate take a good long look at him. “Worried about it fitting?” He grinned.  
  
In a brief moment of clarity in her lust, Kate rolled her eyes at him. “Babies come out of vaginas. I very much doubt your dick is going to get stuck…” Negan flashed an annoyed look at her. “As ample as it may be.”  
  
“Turn the fuck around and grab the headboard.” Kate gave him a very wary look but did as she was told. Negan slipped his cock between her folds and rubbed himself on her sensitive flesh. “Fuck! That feels good.”  
  
Kate moaned in reply and tried to grind back. Negan pulled away. “Soon, baby girl. I want to enjoy your ass a little bit.” She tensed. “Not that way, Christ.” _Fingers crossed for later._ He ran a hand across her backside and she shivered. “I’m going to spank you now, five times on each cheek.”  
  
“Yes, please!” Negan was surprised to hear her beg.

He brought a hand down on her and she gasped. Almost immediately her skin splotched red. Negan rubbed himself on her again and she let out a different cry. He brought his hand down again and again, between each taking the time to thrust against her increasingly overstimulated skin. “Fuck! I love how red your ass is turning.”  
  
Kate was a wreck by the time he was done. None of the blows were painful, only erotic. She looked down between them and the sight of the ruby tip of his cock, slick with her juices, rubbing against her throbbing jewel brought her to the brink again and Negan slowed, denying her release once more. She mewled her disappointment into a pillow. Gathering her strength, she pushed herself up to turn and look at him. “Negan…please...”  
  
Negan kissed her gently on the shoulder before gathering Kate in his arms and turning her to face him. She was exhausted and sweaty with her desire. Chest heaving, she rolled her head into his chest. He brushed her hair from in front of her face. “Who are you, little girl?”  
  
“I’m…Negan…”  
  
He smiled softly at her. “Now _that_ is an answer I like hearing.”  


He laid Kate back and moved to position himself at her entrance. Negan wanted to bury himself in her warmth, but he inched just the tip in, letting her adjust to him. Slowly, he began to move on her. “Fuck, little girl… you are so hot.”  
  
Kate grabbed his arm. Her eyes were dark and wild. “Negan, fuck me…please… I need…”  
  
“What the lady wants, the lady fucking gets! I am all about _service_!” Negan withdrew and slammed into her with a groan.  
  
Kate screamed in pleasure. “YES! FUCK! SHIT!”  
  
Negan pumped into her three or four more times before he felt her burst around his cock, she was so pent up. “Ahhh! FUCK!” She thrashed against the bed.  
  
Negan was not finished. He kept on pounding through her orgasm, and she moaned as she crested towards a second. “Negan! I’m going to come again!” She cried.

Negan reached down between them and pinched her clit and she shattered into another orgasm, crying his name. She contracted around his dick and that tipped Negan over the edge. He exploded into her. “FUCK!” Negan collapsed onto her chest.  
  
Kate rode the waves of her second orgasm and found that Negan was still in her. “You’re still hard.”  


“Fuck…I know. That hasn’t happened in a long time.” He rolled off of her and Kate winced at his withdrawal. He began to stroke himself but Kate stopped him.  
  
“I’ll take care of that. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”  
  
Negan raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t let me stop you.”  
  
Kate tentatively touched Negan, grabbing fingers around him that did not quite touch. Slowly, she lowered her head to run a tongue around him before taking as much of him as she could in her mouth and sucking. Negan bucked his hips involuntarily and Kate withdrew. She slid her body up his, trapping his dick between their bodies. “I can taste us on you.” She whispered in his ear and flexed her hips against him. Negan groaned as he came again. Kate laughed and rolled off him. “That was the best punishment I’ve ever gotten.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, you thirsty people, you.


	8. You're Lost Little Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time (for me anyways) since I posted an update. I'm finishing up grad school and had a bunch of papers to write instead. This chapter kind of got away from me and if I had kept on as I wanted, this would have been like 10k words or more. This also is honestly the first chapter I feel kind of unsure about. Some parts I really like, others I feel apathetic about. But I came to the realization that feeling stuck is part of writing and to move forward you have to just write a bunch of shit down before you can polish it into something better. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Kate and Negan lay there in silence for several moments, catching their breath. "Pardon my goddamn French, but that...that was a damn good fuck." Negan reached into the bedside drawer, removed a half smoked cigarette, and lit it. "Not what I was fucking expecting." He took a slow drag.

"What did you expect? Whimpered protests and starfish action?"

Negan cocked his head. "Yes, actually." He offered Kate the smoke.

She shook her head. "I'm not a fan of smoking cigarettes. Always wanted to try a cigar though."

Negan began to speak but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Simon "Are you almost done in there? It's after nine and people are getting anxious about the wait.”

"Let them get fucking anxious," Negan growled. He sighed. "Tell them soon."

He snuffed the cigarette in an empty cup. "Well, little girl, I guess we better not keep my people waiting.” Negan rolled out of bed and finding his pants he pulled them up and threw his shirt back on.

"Yeah, I’m going to need a moment." Kate got up and went to the bathroom.

Negan followed. "What for?"

"To pee. I may be risking pregnancy in all this but I’m not willing to get a UTI." She gestured to her hair and face. "I need to fix this." Kate sat on the toilet and Negan stood and watched. "You enjoy?"

"Golden showers aren't really my fucking thing. I just wanted to make sure you are keeping your end of the fucking ‘no birth control’ agreement." He disappeared into the other room and Kate could hear him opening drawers.

"And what exactly does your end of the agreement entail?" Kate retorted.

Negan came back into the bathroom with his boots and socks. "Simple. I provide the baby making." He sat down and began to pull them on.

Kate picked up a towel. Wetting one end she moved to clean her thighs and belly but Negan grabbed her wrist. "No. I want to know you have my cum on you while all my men ogle you.”  
  
Kate gnawed on a lip and nodded, flushing pink. Negan let go of her and she instead turned her attentions to her appearance. "Jesus Christ, I look like a cheap hooker." Her makeup was smeared all over and her hair was beyond disheveled.

Negan smiled. "I kinda like the just fucked look."

“Me too. But I at least want to give people the fucking impression that I am a lady with class. Regardless of the truth."

"Little girl, anyone who spends a fucking minute with you would never believe that." Negan turned to leave the bathroom.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" Kate yelled after him. _Asshole._

She made quick work of her face and her hair, wrangling it into a loose knot at the nape of her neck. Kate threw on the red panties and the impractical bra that barely provided any support for her tits. She walked into the other room and was startled to see Simon sitting there with Negan, who now had his jacket back. Simon seemed equally surprised to see her. _Thank God I put underwear on first_. "Oh! I’m almost done. I just need this." Kate quickly grabbed the dress and slipped it on. "Negan, will you zip me up?" She turned and looked at him over her shoulder.

He obliged Kate but he took his sweet time doing it. "Here. Wear these too." He clasped a tiny teardrop shaped diamond pendant around her neck and dropped matching earrings into her hand.

Kate put them in and grabbed the heels from the floor. "Ready? I'm not putting these on and the walking down seven flights of stairs."

Negan grabbed Lucille. "Come on, we are using the elevator."

"You have a working elevator and yet we walked all the way up here earlier?"

"You wanted the fucking tour. And very few people are allowed to use it." Negan led her to the elevator doors and presses the button. They opened with a quiet ding and Negan, Kate, Simon, and their Savior escort piled inside "I also have the key to operate it." He opened the control panel and flipped the switch. Negan pressed a button, the doors closed, and they began to descend while Kate slipped her shoes on. The doors began to slide open. "Stay back until I motion for you."

_Now I know why he wanted to take an elevator. Maximum effect._ The doors opened right onto a catwalk that ran around the outside of the big center gathering place. _Show time…_

Negan banged Lucille on the metal railing and immediately everyone bowed. He surveyed the hushed crowd for a moment.

"Who are we?" His voiced was loud and low but it echoed around the vast space.

"THE SAVIORS!" The gathered crowd shouted in unison, still bowed.

"On your feet, people!” With military precision, they jumped to their feet. “And what do we do?

"WE SURVIVE! WE PROVIDE SECURITY! WE BRING CIVILIZATION!" They were deafening.

"Damn fucking straight, we do! And where we find disorder we shut that shit down, NO EXCEPTIONS!"

The crowd roared but Negan subdued them with a hand motion. "Now, it is with a very fucking heavy heart that I bring you the news that many of our good men at the Mountain Outpost were killed the other night by a gang of fucking thugs.” A murmur of surprise and dismay ran through the crowd. Negan hung his head low. "We were able to take our vengeance on them but some escaped." Angry shouts peppered the crowd. "They were tracked to a settlement and were captured with reinforcements!"

Some yelled, some cheered. A few voices screamed, "Kill them!" Or "War!"

"But!" The crowd quieted. "We were wrong." This was met with confusion. "The settlement was an innocent party, helping the murdering bastards based on lies!" Negan paused, lightening up his face. "Saviors! Today is a good fucking day! Those men and women did not fucking die for no goddamn reason. Because of their sacrifice, we now have a new ally!” Once again a buzz of excitement spread through the crowd. An ally? This was new, different.

Negan swung Lucille to point at Kate “And I got a new wife!” 

Kate stepped forward to gasps and murmurs of surprise. Looking out on the sea of faces she could pick out Fat Joey, Dr. Carson, and Dwight, who was standing with two women. She also could see the wives off to the side looking her over with anger and disgust. _This isn’t exactly the best thing that has happened to me, bitches._ She gasped as Negan grabbed her into a possessive side hug. Handing Lucille to Simon, Negan pulled the ring Kate had picked out, slipped it on her finger, and kissed her to cheers from the witnessing crowd.    
  
Negan released his hold on her lips. “Kate here is the leader of Haven and she was so fucking appreciative of the protection we will be providing she gave us a doctor and offered to become one of my wives. And, well, I couldn’t fucking say no to that. In fact, we were all late to this fucking meeting because we were _pounding_ out the details to our arrangement.” Negan thrust his hips at the innuendo and Kate blushed as the crowd hooted. Negan laughed. “Kate will not be staying here with us all the time. She has her own shit to run. If you come across her people, NO ONE FUCKS WITH THEM WITHOUT REASON. You fuck with them and you are fucking with her. If you fuck with her, you are fucking with my wife. And I’m the only one who gets to fuck my wives.” Negan looked very, very angry  
  
For the first time, there was silence. Complete silence and unease. Negan smiled and the tension eased. “Fucking celebrate people! Everyone gets a drink on me tonight!” A cheer rose up. “And tomorrow everyone gets fresh eggs, no points!” He looked at Kate. "You wanna fucking say something darlin'?"

Inwardly Kate cursed him. She didn't want to say anything, the spectacle was more than enough but now he had put her in a position where to not say something would look weak. Kate stepped forward to address the gathered audience. She took a breath to calm her nerves and put on a big charming smile. "When I woke up this morning, I did not realize that I would find a much larger world on my doorstep. And while the circumstances that lead to this revelation were not ideal, I can say with confidence that I welcome it. With Haven's resources and the might of The Sanctuary, we can bring civilization together!"

  
An enthusiastic cheer went up from the crowd. Kate stepped back to an impressed Negan. "Well, you sure know how to whip up a crowd." He spoke quietly in her ear.

"So do you. I guess it’s a good thing no one questions your narrative."

Negan grabbed her arm firmly but gently and steered her back towards the elevator. "You played along too, little girl."

The doors closed, sealing them alone in the silence. It began to move "I suppose it would be too much to ask that I be taken home tonight."

"It is far too dark and too long a trip for that." Negan produced the room key she had forgotten about and handed it to her. "I had them put your stuff in there."

"Can we at least leave before seven? I don’t want my people at Haven to worry any longer than needed."

Negan nodded as the doors open. Kate tried to leave but he stopped her. Pulling her into his arms he kissed her briefly on the lips and then the forehead. "Get some sleep, little girl."

Kate watched her reflection in the shiny metal doors before turning down the hall to her room. Turning the key in the lock, she opened the door and flipped on the light. She had not taken the time earlier to investigate, merely just to note the bed, kitchenette, and small seating area.  The decor had slightly changed from earlier. A vase of wildflowers sat on a table. Her clothes she came here with were cleaned and folded on the bed along with an oversized men's undershirt and drawstring pants she presumed were for sleeping.  Opening up a wardrobe, Kate found all the dresses she had picked out and her boots, now polished. On top of a dresser sat the jewelry box, makeup bag, and all of her weapons. Inside the drawers were yet more clothes, underwear, lingerie, and more casual clothing.

She looked in the fridge. It was empty save for some bottles of water. Kate was about to investigate the cupboards but she was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. “Come in!”   
  
Kate half expected to see Negan or Simon with some forgotten question. Instead, the tattooed blonde from earlier entered the room. "My name is Laura. Negan told me you might be hungry and to get you some food?"

"Really?" Kate’s stomach churned with a mixture of hunger and tension.

"Yeah, anything you want."

"Grilled cheese and vegetable soup?"

Laura grinned. "Simple. Nice. Drink?"

Kate thought for a moment. "You have any real Diet Coke? Not like off brand shit."

"I think I can scrounge on up."

Kate smiled at her. "I’m going to take a shower. If I’m not out when you come back, just leave it on the table."

Laura nodded and departed.

Kate grabbed the sleepwear and a new pair of more practical panties. The bathroom in this room was serviceable but nothing as fancy as Negan’s.

She let the water steam hot before getting in. There was only a bar of soap and a washcloth and she scrubbed at her skin until it was red. Kate felt suddenly very exhausted and overwhelmed as the day caught up with her. Finally truly alone with her thoughts, she sank to the floor of the shower and sat under the cascade, replaying the events of the day over and over in her mind, glad she longer had to worry about the next move in this chess game, until the hot water ran out.

Negan was a far more complex man than Kate had assumed. She had underestimated him as much as he had her. Kate thought him to be the kind of man who took what he wanted by force, maybe even his women too, who could be appeased if you gave him something he wanted. She had not expected this, any of this. The organization of The Sanctuary, the charismatic leadership that commanded loyalty, and the extremes of brutality and care he exhibited.

Kate was fully aware had she not cooperated he would have unleashed his power over Haven. She knew that had she struck a deal and left it at that, he probably would only care about her to the extent that he may have cared in a lucrative stock portfolio in the world before. When Kate offered herself to sweeten the deal she had expected him to at worst use her and at best give her the courtesy of getting her off first. What happened- the clothes, this room, the sex, his announcement to his people that her people were protected- that was so above and beyond anything she had been prepared to deal with. It had been a very long time since Kate had felt so out of her element and she didn't like it. She felt so odd- satisfied, yet still used, and unsure.

The water now cold, she reluctantly turned it off and got out. Drying herself off, she dressed in the comfortable clothes and exited the bathroom to find that Laura had come and gone and left her food. She touched them. The sandwich was still warm and the Diet Coke cold. She popped open the soda and took a long satisfying drink and enjoyed the burn down her throat. Hungry, she dug into her food. She was almost finished when she heard a knock on the door.

"Kate? It's Josie. Can I come in?"

"It’s open." She said, swallowing her bite.

The petite girl entered the room. She too was in far more comfortable clothing from when the first met and carried a half consumed wine cooler.  "How are you? I wanted to see if you were doing okay. Negan's announcement there didn't exactly go over well with Frankie and Tanya and I thought I would escape their raging."

Kate laughed, wryly. "As well as I guess I could be, given the circumstances. I didn't expect to have to sell myself to the devil today." She winced. "Sorry, that sounded bleak."

Josie took a seat and nodded. "I know how you feel. We all have our reasons for making the offer. What's yours?"

Kate gave Josie a very quick rundown of the events leading to her visit to The Sanctuary. "...and he said he still wanted half of our stuff. It would cripple us and we didn't do anything wrong and he knew that. We aren't as small as he is leading people to believe, by the way. We could start a war and this place would suffer but we wouldn't win it. So I offered up a deal that allows us to keep most of our resources going forward. I...I wasn't certain he would accept it, so I offered myself as a sweetener and it worked." Kate took a deep breath. "I just didn't expect him to be so......" She searched for the word. "Intense and possessive. And...gentler than I thought."

Josie shrugged. "That's Negan. Very rarely does he have a middle ground. He is just a very extreme person. He is good to the wives and isn’t a cruel lover." She took a sip from her drink. "Don't get down on yourself. As far as reasons go, yours is a good one. Better than any of the others."

"Tell me about them, the other wives. I want to know what is going to come my way."

"Tanya has been around the longest and was Negan’s first wife. She basically was a professional trophy wife. She lived in a bunker until her husband dropped dead and tried to eat her. She was found not too long after by a group of Savior scavengers. She jumped at the chance when she found out about Negan's offer. I was rescued from a pack of the dead a couple months later and became one. It was just us for a while, five or six months. Then Frankie joined us and that was about nine months ago. She was a massage therapist before. She accepted the offer because she thought it would get her prestige."

"And you? What did you do before? Why did you become a wife?"

Josie smiled sadly "I was aimless before. I had a rough life before and a rougher life after the end. I just wanted to feel safe and to rest for once in my life." She closed her eyes, wearily, as if remembering an unpleasant memory, and took a sip of her drink.

Kate nodded. "Funny, I don’t exactly feel a sense of safety and calm with Negan. He feels dangerous."

"He is a lot safer than some of the things out there." She nodded out the dark window. "It’s after curfew. I should leave."

Kate thought of something. Not sure if anyone would overhear she stopped her, quietly. "Wait, how is it that no one has gotten pregnant in the over two years you have been wives if no one is using birth control?"

"We don't quite know, totally. Tanya had a copper IUD in like a year before everything went to shit. And those last for 12 years." Josie paused. "I had a hysterectomy as a teen because of severe endometriosis. Frankie, we don't know about. It might be because Negan doesn't pick her as often. She has really irregular periods. No one who thought avoiding getting pregnant would be a problem has accepted..." Seeing the look on Kate's face she added, "Oh...until now.  I'm sure it will be okay. Just a warning though, expect random pregnancy tests. Night." Josie opened the door and left. And Kate was once again alone.

 Finished with her meal, Kate brushed her teeth before climbing into bed. The analog clock on side table said 11:37 pm.  And turning off the light, she let the darkness envelope her. Kate sighed heavily and, much to her surprise, tears welled up in her eyes and Kate began to cry. They were not tears of sadness or pain but tears of relief that this fucking stressful day was over and of frustration that the game would begin again tomorrow. She tried to wipe them away but they kept coming and Kate began to sob.

 

* * *

 

Negan had a second motive for placing Kate in a separate room from the wives other than as an empty symbol of stature. He didn't trust her and the room he gave her was directly below his. Sound carried and, if he chose, he could what went on in that room through a connecting vent. Negan wanted to be able to keep an eye, or rather ear, on her in case she got it in her head to plan something.

After Negan had sent Kate back to her room and sent Laura to attend to her, he tried to do some work reading the inventory reports from what was brought from Haven. Negan had never been someone who needed a lot of sleep and he found it easier to do boring things when most of The Sanctuary was asleep. But tonight concentration would not come. Taking off his reading glasses and throwing them on the desk he walked into the other room to grab himself a beer but paused when he heard voices coming from Kate's room. They were low but he could tell it was Josie. Taking the bottle with him, Negan sat on the floor, back against the wall listening at the grate.

"....Just a warning though, expect random pregnancy tests. Night."

Negan smiled. Leave it to Josie to give Kate a rundown on the practicality of being a wife. Negan heard the door shut and silence. Negan was about to get up when he heard what sounded like crying. Frowning, he leaned back and took a swig of his drink.

Negan sat there for twenty or thirty minutes drinking and listening to Kate cry herself to sleep. When there was silence again Negan got up, grabbed Lucille, and made his way down to the fence. He walked along it for a while in the moonlight looking at his undead guards and nodding to the living who bowed as he passed.

Negan felt restless. He made his way back inside and up to the sixth floor. Knocking on a door, it opened to reveal a rather surprised Simon. "Oh! Hey. What's up?"

"I'm taking Kate back to Haven tomorrow morning. Alone. Letting you know so everyone doesn't freak the fuck out."

Simon's face furrowed into a frown. "That a good idea? Shouldn't I take her back instead?"

"She isn't a threat to me. At least not personally. I gave Kate several opportunities today to take a crack at me and she didn't fucking take a single one. She even caught me off guard pulling out a knife and didn't do anything."

"What?"

Negan reiterated to Simon Kate's little trick. "That sounds too fucking close, Negan. She could have killed you."

"And if she had, you would have fucking destroyed her and her people."

Simon thought for a moment. "True. You know, we should look into creating something similar for the Saviors and the people who go out scavenging - men and women."

Negan nodded. "Going forward, I want you to handle the outpost collections. I don't foresee any serious problems but they have a lot of firepower and I don't want some asshole fucking things up. Haven may be paying tributes but I fucking meant it that they should be treated like allies unless they do something stupid."

"What should I tell Wade?"

Wade was the outpost lieutenant. Negan found him to be a creepy motherfucker but a good enough leader so he stuck him at a far-flung outpost so he wouldn't have to look at his face regularly. "Tell him I don’t fucking appreciate that he managed to let so many men get fucking murdered by a fucking gang. A herd I could _maybe_ fucking overlook, but not this. I think I need to replace him. But not yet, not until I figure out who.” Negan stroked his bearded chin. “I need you to radio to them. Tell Wade to get two trucks ready for tomorrow and that Cole should take them to Haven with a few guys once he hears from us in the morning."

Simon nodded "Will do. Anything else?"

"I'm going to want to take that Suburban. Make sure it’s gassed up. "

Negan left without any salutation and made his way towards Kate’s room.  He stopped in front of her door and raised his fist to knock but decided against it, instead continuing to the wives lounge. It was late, almost one, but Josie still sat up, reading. Negan looked at her, raising an eyebrow in question. "Not tonight. But Tanya is still up." She replied.

Negan knocked on Tanya's door and she opened it wearing a sheer black teddy. "I was hoping you would still come tonight." She said, breathily.

Negan propped Lucille up outside the door and gently pushed her back through the doorway. "Baby, I always want to come." He grinned.

Behind his back, Josie rolled her eyes at the two but neither of them noticed as Negan shut the door behind him.

Leaning against it, he watched Tanya eagerly unbuckle his belts, unzip his jeans, and greedily take him into her warm mouth. Negan let himself relax into the feeling for several moments before telling her to stop. Pulling her up he sank to his knees, taking her panties with him, to return the favor. Tanya arched into him as he teased at her. She laughed "I knew that little bitch couldn't hold your attention."

Negan stopped and stood. "Careful, Tanya. Jealousy is not a fucking good look on you." Grabbing her by the waist, he held her up against the door. One of her legs was hooked over his elbow. With the other she stood on tiptoe, barely holding her weight up. Negan groaned as he entered her.

Tanya gasped. "But you aren't fucking her right now, are you?"

"Because...she...was...asleep!" Each word was punctuated by a thrust. Negan moved until Tanya found her release and he his. "I didn't even ask you second." He whispered in her ear, letting her down and adjusting himself. Negan gave her a lingering kiss. "Goodnight, Tanya."

Negan left and shut the door. Grabbing Lucille and swinging her over his shoulder he smiled as he heard a muffled shriek of anger. Back in his bedroom, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	9. Turn The Page

Kate was jolted awake by "shave and a haircut" pounded on her door. She was momentarily confused and frightened before the events of the previous day rushed back to her and she remembered where she was. _The Sanctuary. Negan. I’m at The Sanctuary with Negan._

“Wakey, Wakey, little girl! Breakfast upstairs in fifteen minutes!" Negan yelled from the other side.

  
Kate groaned and rubbed her face. Raising her hand in front of her face, she squinted to look closely at the ring she had picked. It really was quite pretty. _I guess I'm married now? Whatever that means..._

Sitting up, Kate put on her glasses and turned on the light. It was still dark in the room and the clock read 5:45 am. She was stiff all over and as she stretched, Kate felt joints shift and pop all over her body. She tried to stand and her legs screamed in pain and they momentarily buckled as she sank down to the bed. _Holy shit! What..._ Kate laughed at herself as it dawned on her that her muscles were sore and stiff from "exercising" in a wholly unfamiliar and strange way the previous day. Tentatively she stretched out her legs until they merely only dully throbbed.

Kate went about the necessary morning routine of dressing and arming herself, putting on the clothes she had worn the day before her knives. Picking up the gun she noted the weight and was surprised to discover that her magazine had been reloaded. Grabbing her boots out of the wardrobe, Kate noticed a beautiful leather jacket she had not seen the night before. Going to the bank of windows she popped on open. Cold air and the smell of night’s rain blew into the room. Nodding to herself Kate slipped the jacket over her shoulders leaving it unzipped. The lining inside was sheep wool.

Opening the door she was surprised to see she had an escort, a woman close to Kate's age who introduced herself as Arat. Kate locked the door and slipped the key in her pocket.

"Really, Arat, I don't need an escort. I know where I am going."

Arat hesitated, frowning. "I don't want to disobey orders."

Kate sighed and nodded, walking towards the ascending stairs and motioning for the woman to follow her.

Up high on the seventh floor, Kate could see the barest hint of the breaking dawn along the tree line outside the wall of windows. The sun would burn off the clouds soon. She knocked on Negan's door and he opened it. "You're late." He said, rather gruffly.

Kate looked at her watch. She was late by ten minutes. Choosing to ignore him she ducked through the door. The bar was set for two, a plate of eggs, toast, fruit, and sausage at each place with a cup of coffee. She carefully slid into one of the seats and took a bite of warm meat. "So I had a bit of a slow start." She said, swallowing. "I…uh… have a lot of pulled muscles from everything yesterday." Kate grinned at Negan.

The barest of smiles twitched at his lips and he opened a bedside drawer and shook some tablets out of a generic bottle of Aleve before handing it to Kate. Throwing his head back he swallowed the pills dry. "Me too. It’s been a while since I got to treat Lucille to some living brains, and those don't go down quite as smooth as dead ones." Negan sat across from her, absentmindedly rubbing at a shoulder.

"Funny, I would have guessed arthritis, since you are so fucking old and everything." She gave him a mischievous look as she took a sip of coffee.  

Negan looked at her, fork halfway to his mouth. "You are a little asshole, you know." He took a bite of eggs.

"Yes. But it doesn't help that I’m not exactly a morning person. I just want to get home early enough to not scare my people any more than needed. I don't exactly want them to come looking for me. And causing problems." 

Negan took a sip of his coffee. "You don’t trust them to not contradict your orders?"

"I expect my soldiers would. Not so much my lieutenants. Do yours fear you so much that if they thought you were in danger they wouldn't come after you?"

Negan thought for a moment back to his conversation with Simon the night before about how Simon would destroy Haven had Kate killed Negan. "Point taken. They will know you are alive before we get there. The outpost has trucks waiting for instructions to leave. I want them, Cole, to get started collecting the rest of your shit ahead of us."

Kate looked at Negan suspiciously over her glasses. "And what are these outpost people telling them, Negan?" The bar was small and they were almost eye to eye.

Negan squinted at Kate, appraising her expression and clicked his tongue at her. "What do you fucking expect of me, Kate? Maybe they are already on their way, with instructions to take half your shit and terrorize your goddamn people." Kate could feel herself starting to burn with anger at his words. "Or...maybe they are going to tell them exactly what you want them to hear." Negan turned his head but his eyes didn't leave hers. "Dwight!" He yelled.

A look of confusion crossed Kate's face as the door from the boardroom to the bedroom cracked open and Dwight stuck his head in the room. "Yes?"

"Get the fuck over here and take a message to radio to Mountain Outpost." Negan turned back to Kate. "I'm not a fucking morning person either, little girl, and I DON'T like to be kept waiting."

Kate ground her teeth in frustration, barely able to control the overwhelming desire she had to slap Negan across the face. But she dared not do that in front of a subordinate.

Dwight had a memo pad and a pen with him. "Sir?"

Negan nodded at Kate. "This is her message Dwighty boy. Whatever she says."

Kate gave Negan one last hard look before putting on a soft smile and turning to Dwight. Dwight handed her the notepad and she began scribbling.

“What are you writing?” Negan hooked a finger over the top of the paper and pulled it down to look.  
  
Kate pulled it back. “I’m telling them who to ask for and that they are to hand over 10% of all our canned food, fresh produce, and medication." Negan raised an eyebrow. Kate pursed her lips and began writing again. "And however many guns and rounds of ammunition make up 10% when combined with what I brought yesterday." Kate looked at Negan and he gave a small nod of permission.

Kate handed the notebook to Dwight and he read back what he had written to confirm accuracy. “What do these letters at the end mean? M-E-L-K?” He asked.  

"It’s to prove that I actually wrote it and not someone else. It's some initials from a childhood game. They will get it.” Dwight nodded and left the room.  
  
Kate waited for the door to close before she turned back to Negan, angry. "What the fuck was that earlier? Playing at breaking our agreement? That wasn't fucking funny."

Negan took note of Kate clenching her fist. "Just pointing out that no matter what goes on between us, I can still fuck you and fuck you over if I wanted to." Negan caught Kate's arm as she tried to slap him. "And just because I fucking CAN doesn't mean I'm going to."

He released her. Kate looked into his unreadable face. She felt her face crumble and his expression soften slightly. "I just want to know that as long as we follow your rules I can trust you."

"You can. I told you, Kate. I’m a man of my fucking word."

Kate suddenly and very unexpectedly wished he would kiss her. Instead, she placed her smaller hand on top of his much larger one. It was warm, hard, and calloused. She gave it an appreciative squeeze. "Thank you," Kate said, smiling at him, and letting go.

Negan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "See, how fucking pleasant I can be?"

* * *

 

Kate had not left Haven for an extended period of time since well before it became the established community it now was.  And they had never had to implement the security protocols they had developed for human threats. So Kate would have been happy to know in her absence that it had worked perfectly.

As Lyssa had watched trucks of men and women drive off with guns, food, and Kate she immediately went into lockdown mode. "Matt, bar the gates and get double the people on the walls. No one fucking goes in or out."

Matt nodded in affirmation. Grabbing the radio at her waist, Lyssa spoke into it. "Everyone, we are in lockdown effective immediately. Easton is in the infirmary. Gill, where are you?"

The radio crackled. "I'm in the dining hall. Those assholes didn't destroy anything but they left this place a shambles." Lyssa was surprised to hear Gill use profanity.

"Go over to the school and escort the kids back to their families. Until further notice, no one leaves housing."

Tamra's voice came over the waves. "Lyssa? What is happening?" She sounded scared.

"I will explain later. Just get the kids home and then meet at dining. Same goes for everyone. Get your people to housing, get it secured, and meet at dining. Got it?"

A chorus of replies flooded through the radio. Satisfied, Lyssa quickly made her way through the back door into the kitchens. Her mother Linda was there along with her Aunt Holly, Tamra's mother, and Brenda, a gruff woman who ran the kitchen's with the ruthless efficiency of one who had been in control of this place long before the world ended. By the looks of the jars strewn about, the group had been in the middle of canning vegetables before their day had been interrupted.

"Honey...what is going on? Who were those men?" Linda asked quietly.

"Fucking ruffians, you mean? Did you see what they did to my dining room?" Brenda harrumphed. Linda winced at the profanity. 

"Why are we in lockdown?" Holly asked, nervous. "Are the walls secure? Is Matthew safe?"

"Yes, and yes," Lyssa said, addressing Holly first. Her expression shifted to one of relief. "I will explain the lockdown when everyone is here. But it's in effect until further notice. Be prepared to make an easily portable dinner and use the old catering equipment."

Brenda nodded. "Spaghetti and sauce it is." She wandered towards dry and began counting the industrial size cans of tomato sauce she only lowered herself to use when speed was valued over quality.

"Great." Lyssa walked out of the kitchen as Linda and Holly started to help Brenda prepare.

Lyssa stopped as she surveyed the dining hall over her glasses. _Nooooo......whaaatttt...shit._ That guy Negan had told his men to be on their best behavior. _If this is best...jeez._ True, nothing was explicitly broke but their occupancy left something to be desired. Tables were askew, chairs moved all over with little rhyme or reason. Some were tipped over, stacked on top of each other, and on tables. There were silverware and dishes strewn everywhere. And the food. The food was ground into the floor and littered over tables and chairs.

_This is some next level passive aggressive shit._  Sighing, Lyssa reached for the radio. "Harry, what is the status of our cleaning crew?"

"D crew is in lockdown in the athletic center preparing to head to housing per your orders." The voice through the radio was low and grumbly.

Lyssa looked out the window across the parking lot to the athletic building 50 feet away. "Come to the dining hall. There is a huge mess here and I don't want to encourage rats."

"Will do."

Lyssa watched the group of ten men and women cautiously make their way across the lot, following Harry with his drawn gun.

Entering the building, he gave a low whistle. "This have to do with the trucks and strange men?"

"Mmhmm" Lyssa nodded in affirmation. "I’ll explain at the meeting."

The cleaning crew made quick work of the mess and soon you could not tell anything had ever been out of place. Harry escorted his crew back to their homes and returned, finding Lyssa sitting at the head of a row of tables, quietly conferring with other members of his family and Haven leadership. 

As the rest of the leadership and family trickled in, Lyssa began to watch the gathering assembly in silence, occasionally sharing glances with Lib, Gill, Matt, and Easton, trying to figure out how to explain what had happened. 

The group was murmuring amongst themselves but they quieted as Lyssa stood. "This afternoon marks the first time since we built Haven that we have encountered another large group with significant artillery and fighting power. Truly, we know little about them other than that they are heavily organized and are run by a man named Negan. Easton?"

The commander of the Archangels began with the events of the night prior and his subsequent capture. "They definitely are big. The men who captured us were from an outpost. I overheard them reference themselves as The Saviors."

Matt picked up the narrative. "I let them in when I saw they had Easton. I can confirm they had at least 50 men in the tree line. Negan carries a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire."

The crowd began to stir. Gill spoke up. "He calls it Lucille and I witnessed him bludgeon someone to death with it as an example." Worry and fear passed through the audience. "Not one of ours, one of the others...fortunately. He says he wants a tribute from us in exchange for protection."

Lib picked up, her voice steady and even. "It's true. I had a meeting with Kate, Negan, and his second Simon. Their main base is somewhere over the mountain.  They cleared the blocked road." Whispers and murmurs began to start again but Lib put up a hand to stop them. "Their offer of protection us genuine and we have no idea of what other groups or herds exist that far out. Kate agreed to their offer of protection but she and Negan are going to negotiate tribute terms."

"Lib," a woman's voice came from the crowd. Lib shifted in her seat to look down the table at her mother. "Where is Kate?"

Lyssa answered for her. "She left with Negan and the trucks," she looked down at her watch. "About forty minutes ago. Along with food and guns as a partial tribute. Alone."

"And she gave him Dr. Carson as a permanent hostage." Added Lib. 

The table erupted into chaos but Lyssa didn’t bother to stop them. Kate's mother looked from Lyssa to Gill. "She went alone? You’re her security detail!"

Lyssa sighed. "Aunt Evelyn, this Kate. She does what she wants and she wouldn't hear otherwise. She told me she didn't want to give him another hostage opportunity."

Evelyn clenched her jaw in reply.

Lib tried to intervene. "Mom, it's not likely he will do anything to her and she insisted she wanted to see his compound."

"That being said," interrupted Lyssa. "We are remaining in lock down until she returns." _Or we find out otherwise._ Lyssa was wise enough to not say the thought out loud.  She sat back down, indicating she was done, and that this meeting was over. Evelyn stood up angrily and stalked out of the building. Lib and Gill exchanged glances and followed after her. The rest slowly gathered and left in groups or gone back to the kitchens until only Lyssa, Matt and Easton were left.

 Lyssa sighed and propped her chin up in her hands. "I really hope she comes back soon. I don’t want to think about the other possibility."

"This is my fault," Matt said. "I shouldn't have let them in."

"They had ME hostage. I’m at fault here." Easton interrupted. "For not following the protocol last night when those people showed up."

"It doesn't matter!" Matt and Easton both jumped. "They found us before they captured you, Easton. And if you had provoked them at the wall, Matt, Kate wouldn't have forgiven you."

Both of the men tried to speak but Lyssa held up a hand. "No. Just go. I need to think."

They reluctantly left Lyssa to her thoughts. Not wanting to go back to her own rooms and fend off the inevitable multitudes of inquiries, she sat there in silence, entertaining the multiple possibilities in which this situation could end and forming plans. As the hours past and no imminent attack seemed forthcoming, Lyssa radioed that those responsible for caring for the livestock be allowed to leave their homes. Lyssa could imagine Kate returning and being annoyed to find that the cows had not been milked.

The sun began to set and the food workers left to feed the residents when Lyssa finally decided to go home. She could see lights in dorm windows she passed and hear laughter from those within. _Good._ It gave her confidence that the residents of Haven were not barricaded in their homes in fear. Wanting to avoid them still, she slipped into her building through a side door, nodding to the guards, and quickly made her way to the former resident assistant suite she shared with Phoebe, Gill, and Lib along with Lib's husband.

Lib was reading and she looked up with a frown as Lyssa entered. "She still isn’t back, is she?"

"No," said Lyssa. "And she probably won't tonight." She opened the door to her room, kicked off her boots, and flopped face down on the bed.

Lib followed her in. "So are we still on lockdown?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Lyssa spoke into her pillow. "And I don't want to hear complaints about it." She sighed. "My brain hurts."

"Whatever." Lib was trying to be passive but there was an edge of worry to her voice. Lyssa heard the click of the door. Lyssa listened to the sounds of Lib taking a shower and brushing her teeth. Soon, without even realizing it, she fell asleep.

Lyssa woke to a frantic pounding on her door. Starting up, she realized it was very early morning and the sun was just starting to brighten the sky. 

"There are trucks outside! A voice she couldn't place came from the other side of the door.

Grabbing her shoes from where they had landed the other night, Lyssa stumbled out the door to see an equally bleary-eyed Lib standing in their living space. "A truck?"

"From the Savior outpost." The young archangel replied. "I was told to get you."

Lyssa and Lib exchanged a quick glance before grabbing their jackets and hurrying to the front gate where they were met by Matt. He gave them worried glances. "I recognize this one from yesterday. He says his name is Cole and he has a message for you and Lib from Kate."

Lyssa climbed the ladder to the top of the wall defenses. She looked down at the trucks and the tall and lanky dark-haired man leaning in front of the grill. He wore a shirt from a heavy metal band Lyssa liked from before the end. _Well, at least I know he has good taste in music._

He looked up at her "Hey. You Lyssa?"

"Yes?" In her caution, it came out sounding like a question and she inwardly cringed.

"Negan sent us." He gestured to himself and the other men in the trucks. "To give you a message from your leader," Cole held up a piece of crumpled paper. "And collect the rest of our tribute. So, can you let us in?

Lyssa contemplated the six Saviors for a moment. "If you don't mind, we need to check that your trucks are empty first.”

Cole gave a little bow but did not take his eyes off her. Lyssa nodded to Matt and two guards. They exited through the door in the wall, rifles at their side, ready, but not raised. They examined the trucks one at a time, two on guard as Matt threw open the truck doors.  He gave the all clear and Lyssa signaled for the gates to be opened.

The trucks slowly made their way inside, followed by Cole. They shut again and Cole handed the note to Lyssa after she climbed down from the ladder. "Here."

She quickly scanned it before reading it aloud.

"I am safe. I have negotiated terms of a tribute with Negan in exchange for protection for Haven. Will provide details after I return. Should be there before 9 am. Give Saviors 10% of canned goods, medicine, and guns and ammunition minus what was given yesterday."

Lib looked at Lyssa in disbelief. "This has to be a joke. There is no way she would authorize that." She looked at Cole. "And how do we know this is actually from her and not some scheme."

Cole held his hands up. "I’m just the messenger."

"It’s legitimate," Lyssa said, stone-faced. "She signed it MELK."

"Give me that!" Lib said, grabbing the note from Lyssa. She scanned the note and sighed before handing it back to Lyssa. “It’s a good thing I keep good inventory.”  
  
Lyssa tucked some loose hair behind an ear. "That is probably why she said to ask for you.” She looked up at Cole. “Well, we better get started, because this is going to take a while."

* * *

 

After their breakfast, Kate had said very little to Negan. The day was just starting, she was already exhausted, and not in a mood to be talkative. She had quietly followed him around the Sanctuary, watching Negan interact with the few people up and performing their duties at this early hour and silently climbed into the Suburban parked out by the front gate.

Her continued silence unnerved Negan as he drove. He thought her deep in thought and kept waiting for Kate to say something before he realized that she had fallen fast asleep, head leaned against the glass. He had briefly considered waking her but dismissed the idea. She looked very peaceful while asleep, her features so often crinkled in thought or a frown, smooth.

Negan had been driving west, the rising sun illuminating the road ahead when he topped an incline in the highway to find it blocked by a steady stream of corpses several hundred yards away. _Shit!_ Negan thought to himself as he quietly braked to a stop still unnoticed.

Negan frowned. The herd was big, definitely over a hundred and they were headed north towards Savior territory. Negan picked up his radio from the cup holder. "Good morning you beautiful bastards! Will someone fucking tell Fat Joey when he gets his fat ass up that there is a herd moving in the general direction of The Sanctuary."

"Will do, sir." Dwight’s voice squawked over the air.

Negan opened up the middle console and pulled out a map of the area, looking for an alternative route. Finding none, he was folding it back up when he paused because he heard Kate say his name.

"Negan."

"Yes..?" Negan trailed off as he turned to look at her.

Kate was still asleep. She shifted in her seat, mumbling unintelligibly. Negan watched in fascination as she bit her lip in her sleep before stilling again.

_Now that's the kind of thing that tickles my balls._ Negan thought to himself with a grin.

Negan turned his gaze back to the meandering line of corpses when a group of the dead suddenly stumbled out of the woods to the left of the Suburban. "Shit!" He cried as they began to surround the car.

Kate bolted upright, awake. "What?!"

Negan placed a finger to his lips and whispered. "We have to take care if these fuckers before they attract the attention if THOSE  fuckers." He said tossing his head towards the dead in the distance.

Kate looked at the line, eyes wide in fear. She nodded and quickly glanced through the windows, counting the walkers.     "I see seven" she whispered, pulling one of her hunting knives from her belt.

Negan already held a wicked looking blade in his grasp. He put his hand on his door handle, raised his knife, and Kate mirrored him. Negan nodded and the both shoved their doors open, hard, knocking walkers backward.

Kate jumped out and sunk her knife into the head of one corpse before finishing the one knocked to the ground. She took care of the last one on her side of the Suburban before glancing through the windows to see Negan yank his knife from the skull of a walker. 

Negan was as quick with a blade as he was with a bat, but he was far more silent. Quieter than Kate would have expected given his size. She came around the back of the vehicle as the last walker dropped. They both cautiously eyed the trees. “Should we see if there are more?” Kate asked, trying to control her heavy breathing. She glanced towards the line of the dead who seemingly had not noticed them. “Or wait?”  
  
Negan looked back towards the rising sun and squinted, thinking for a moment. “Stay here, stay in the fucking car, and watch them. I’ll check out the woods. Five minutes.”  
  
Kate nodded and slowly eased open the door behind the driver seat and climbed into the middle seat as Negan disappeared into the woods. Kate stared through the windshield, watching the line of walkers shuffle along. She was unaware of how much time had passed until Negan opened up the door and slid in next to her. “Two more fuckers were in the woods.”  
  
Kate caught herself mid-scream, knife raised. “Shit! Like…knock or something!”  
  
Negan raised his hands in defense. “Fuck! I thought you saw me.”  
  
"I was watching them!" She hissed. "I don’t know if I have ever seen so many. Or if I have it’s been a very long time."

"Herds?" Negan asked. Kate nodded. "There are a few wandering around the area. We try to track them, divert them, and decrease them if we can. Dead activity has been increasing in the area lately. Have the foggiest fuck as to why though. Been trying to figure it out."

"You sound like a weatherman." Kate smiled but it dropped from her face. "Being so isolated, and because we secured the area quickly we don't tend to get really large herds we have to deal with unexpectedly. I take it part of your protection involves keeping herds like that away from communities?"

Negan nodded. "It’s been the only thing so far. Though I’m sure one day some prick will try to fuck with the system in a bad way."

Kate gave him a puzzled expression. "Communities under your protection haven't been attacked by other people? Your allies?"

"Little girl, you are the first person with lady balls big enough to suggest being allies." Negan grinned at her.

Kate looked at him incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Negan shrugged. "Everyone the Saviors has encountered so far either joins us or has attacked my people and suffered the consequences. Except one. An outpost encountered a group near D.C. about a year ago. Their leader is some dude named Ezekiel who apparently speaks like it’s medieval fucking times. He made a deal with Gavin, who runs the outpost. I don't know the specifics. All I know I haven't had any trouble from them and we get produce and meat from them on a regular basis."

Kate thought for a moment. “You haven't met him?  
  
Negan leaned back into the seat. “I tend to let my outposts deal with other communities. I’m not exactly a popular fucking person and the fewer people who know me by sight the better.”  
  
“But you came to Haven.” Kate glanced at him sideways.  
  
“Because you are a big enough threat all on your fucking own, little girl.”  
  
Kate raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”  
  
Negan cleared his throat. “Now don’t get me fucking wrong. You would not fucking win that fight. But I don’t like the idea of pointless waste it would cause me.”

“I’m glad we see eye to eye on that.” Kate looked up at the corpses. The line had thinned out considerably, one or two stumbling along at a time now. “Should we try to go?”

Negan nodded. Exiting the Suburban he got behind the wheel and Kate did the same and moved up front. Turning the key in the ignition, Negan accelerated quickly down the stretch and swerved to avoid a walker stumbling out of the trees. He continued quickly for another minute or two, putting more distance between them and the herd, before slowing down to a more reasonable pace.  
  
“How far away are we from Haven?”  
  
“More than half an hour.”  
  
Kate nodded. “So no allies?”  
  
Negan shrugged. “I’m top fucking dog on my side of the fucking mountain. I haven’t needed any.”  
  
“And you need one now?”  
  
“You are the one who suggested an alliance, not me. I’m not about to pass up a good deal when I am offered one.” Negan gave her a sideways glance. She was staring out the window. “Why, having some regrets?”  
  
Kate sighed. “I’m thinking I just potentially put a fucking target on my back should you piss off someone and they discover our…” She paused. “little arrangement.”  
  
“You work for me. Same as anybody.”  
  
Kate rolled her eyes at Negan. “You know what I mean. I’ve promised you a fighting force if you want it and I fucked you for a better deal.”  
  
“I didn’t fucking ask you to be wife in exchange for a better deal. You came up with that on your goddamn own!” Negan was angry.

“I didn’t want you to take half my shit! Which, if I have understood correctly, is the type of punishment that gets doled out on communities that actually FUCKING do something worth punishing!”

  
“You are also a FUCKING threat, little girl! I have a vested interest in keeping threats weakened but productive. And you made an appealing offer I could live with. Besides, if you had pissed me off I would have been taking half of ALL your shit every… single… fucking… time I showed up. Not just half once, half of everything new like a few communities.”  
  
“Oh…damn…” Kate was at a loss for words.  
  
Negan felt a little thrill at surprising her. “I’m not the kind of person you want to piss the fuck off.”

“I know.” Kate turned back to look out the window. “All the same, I would appreciate it if other communities didn’t find out about me being an ally. Or a wife” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “And I don’t want your men telling my people about the wife part either. I would prefer they believe I am just a very formidable negotiator.”  
  
“Lying to keep up appearances…I guess you don’t want your people ‘questioning your narrative’ any more than I want my people questioning mine.” Negan quoted her words from the night before back to Kate and he laughed as he saw her blush. “I will make sure they don’t fuck up.”  
  
“Thank you.” Kate played with the ring on her finger before taking it off and putting it in her pocket.

If Negan noticed, he didn’t say anything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it has been a month since I updated this last. Life got crazy but it has quieted now. I'm hoping to be able to update more frequently! I really appreciate you all sticking with me and reading my work!


	10. Owner of Lonely Heart

Lyssa and Cole were overseeing the loading of the trucks when a man on the wall called out that a car was approaching from the east. Lyssa responded in confirmation but inside she was suddenly anxious. _Ohgodohgodohgodohgod I hope that is Kate._ Lyssa climbed the wall to wait. Several minutes passed and she rubbed nervously at the paint on her nails until a Chevy Suburban came into view before breaking to a stop a few yards away from the gate.

The driver’s side window rolled down and Negan popped his head out. He flashed Lyssa a wide grin. "I think I have something you fucking want. She was kind of a handful so I had to fucking tie her up and throw her in the trunk." He nonchalantly pointed a thumb towards the back of the vehicle.

Lyssa felt her stomach drop in fear and she raised her gun. "I swear to God..."

Lyssa was interrupted by a voice. "What the hell, Negan!?" The passenger door opened and Kate's head popped up over the roof of the car. “Stand down, Lyssa. Don't listen to him; he is just being an asshole. Open the gate."

Relieved, Lyssa lowered her weapon and signaled for the gate to open. The car pulled inside and Kate jumped out of the car. Lyssa was momentarily shocked to see Kate splattered in blood. “Are you okay?” Lyssa whispered.

“It’s not mine. We ran into a herd on the way back and had to kill some walkers.” Kate said.  
  
“I mean…with him?” Lyssa nodded towards Negan, who was currently clapping Cole on the back and talking animatedly about something. 

“I will explain later. But yes, things are fine. After we finish up here I am going to want to have a meeting with you all. And Easton and Matt.” Kate smiled at Lyssa and gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm. “I promise.” 

“Holy goddamn _shit!_ You were NOT fucking kidding about how much shit you were sending my way, Kate!” Lyssa and Kate both turned to look at Negan. He was learning back, Lucille swinging from one hand, surveying the contents of the trucks. He jumped into one. A whistle echoed out the back. “I DEFINITELY have to take some of this shit back with me! Cannot let the outpost have all of this. NO…FUCKING…WAY. The back of the truck bobbed up and down with those last three words, as Negan bounced up and down in excitement. He jumped out of the back of the truck, Lucille over one shoulder and a large assault rifle in the other. “Hoollyyy shit! Where the FUCK did you get this goddamn beauty?”  
  
Automatically, the guards posted on the wall tensed and raised their weapons. Kate heard Matt and Lyssa behind her shift and draw as well. Negan’s expression shifted from delight to dark and cautious. “Hey now. I’m just taking a look at my new fucking toys. No need for fucking dramatics.”  
  
Kate turned around and shook her head at everyone, motioning for them to lower their weapons. “I appreciate your enthusiasm at my protection, but I can assure you it is unnecessary at this moment.” She laughed and the tension diffused. The men on the wall let out a little chuckle. She turned her attention back to Negan. “You can play with your toys _all_ you want but I prefer it be in private.” Kate winked at Negan.

He watched her with a very interesting expression on his face before he threw open the trunk of the Suburban, tossed the rifle inside, and turned back to look into the trucks. Lib was standing nearby with a clipboard marking off inventory. She watched Negan rummaging through the items. “Wait! If you take things the inventory is going to be off!”

Negan stopped. “So?”

“I don’t trust you to not claim we screwed you over when you think something is missing.” Lib raised an eyebrow at him over her glasses.

Negan leaned back and looked at her for a moment. He pointed Lucille at her and clucked his tongue. “Now that is the kind of _initiative_ I can _APPRECIATE!_ Thinking ahead of all the _possibilities!_ ”

Lib rolled her eyes at him. “I’m an accountant. It’s my job.”

Kate came over to them. "Lib, how about you go make a copy of the inventory. One for Cole, one for Negan." She smiled a large fake smile at Negan. "So Cole will know what Negan took and Negan will know what Cole has."

Lib made an annoyed grumbling noise but moved to do as Kate had suggested. Kate climbed up into the truck and surveyed the rest of the tribute. This truck was entirely guns and ammunition. She gave a low whistle. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't even know we had this many guns. I mean, I knew we had a fuckton but if this 10%, less than even....shit."

"You don't know how many weapons you have?" Negan looked at her incredulously.

Kate shrugged "I trust my lieutenants to tell me what I have and what we need and to take care of it. " Kate appraised his look. "What? It works"

Negan just shook his head and sifted through a box of handguns. "Fuck me! Is this a Dirty Harry gun?"

".44  Magnum? Yep. That one I do know where I came from. We scavenged a house at the beginning. The former owner was a gun collector."

"I am for sure taking this badass motherfucking piece for myself." Negan tucked it into his belt and jumped down from the first truck and climbed into the other.

Rolling her eyes, Kate looked through the boxes of ammunition, finding two boxes of Magnum bullets. She followed Negan into the other truck. He was rooting through medical supplies. "Here," Kate said, tossing the ammo to him. Negan reacted quickly, catching them with ease. "That gun is going to be useless without bullets."

Negan shook his head in mock disapproval of himself. "How could I be so forgetful? Look at you little girl, taking good care of me." He put the ammo down and took a step towards Kate. "All these medical supplies too...yeah real fucking good..."

Kate was backed up against a wall of the truck. She looked up at Negan and bit a lip. "Is that so?"

"Mhmm." Negan bent his head and captured her mouth in a deep kiss. He bit her lip in return.

Kate purred her approval and pressed her body against his, threading her arms around his torso.

"Here is a copy of that list for Negummmm holy shiii....what?"

Kate broke their embrace as Lib interrupted them. Kate rubbed a hand across her mouth.

"What?" Kate heard Lyssa say from outside with a touch of panic.

Kate shook her head as Lib glanced from Lyssa to Negan and Kate. "Uhh there are a...lot of things Negan is taking and I...uh...don't want to move it." Lib crinkled her face in annoyance. Whether it was genuine or faked Kate couldn't say.

Kate mouthed a silent "Thank you" to her sister.

Negan gave them both a shit eating grin. "Yes, there is so much good shit in here I just can't fucking help myself." He winked at Kate and picked up a box of medical supplies. "Don't worry Lib," Negan popped his lips on the B in her name. "I can handle carry my heavy packages on my own. Don't want you ladies to hurt yourselves. I'm a real fucking gentleman like that." Negan jumped off the truck and started walking to the Suburban. "Can someone get me two more of these? Kate! Get Lucille."

It was a demand, given to her in front of her people and Kate knew it. She also knew better than to ignore it. She picked up Lucille from where Negan had leaned her against some boxes of canned goods and climbed off the truck.

"What the hell, Kate?" Lib whispered to her, angrily.

Kate held up a finger to silence her. "I will explain later."

Lib grumbled, dissatisfied, but didn't press the issue and followed Kate to the car. Kate handed Lucille to Negan and he carefully placed her in the middle of the bench seat. "Lucille likes riding up in front with me." He explained to a very confused looking Matt and Lyssa. Cole, who was shoving a box in the trunk, stifled a smile and Kate covered her face with a hand.

"Whatever." Lib was not impressed. "Here is your copy and yours." She handed a set of papers to first Cole and the Negan.

"Thank you, darling!" He said taking them from her and flashing a smile. Libs face remained impassive. Negan appraised her for a moment. "You don't fucking like me."

Lib shrugged. “I don't know you enough to dislike you and I find you annoying enough to not want to get to know you.”

Several of the spectators gasped. Negan leaned back in surprise. The atmosphere grew tense for several moments before Negan abruptly laughed. "Well hot damn! Looks like you aren't the only one with big ass lady balls, little girl. Your sister has a pair all her own."

Lib scoffed and walked off.

Negan started to say something but Kate grabbed him by the arm. “Can you please NOT antagonize her?”

Negan bent down and spoke quietly in her ear. “Why the fuck shouldn’t I?”

“Because I would prefer you not undermine my fucking authority around my people. I play by your rules in your house, you play by my rules in my damn house, okay?”

Negan squinted at her for a long moment and ran his tongue around his mouth. Kate could tell he wasn’t the happiest at her challenge. Finally, Negan nodded. “Okay, little girl. I’m game, especially since I am so _goddamn_ happy at this haul I am taking home.” There was a sparkle in his eyes and Kate relaxed. Negan reached into the car and pulled out a radio. “Here. I gave the match to Cole. If you need something, need to get into contact with The Sanctuary this will connect you to the outpost and they can get a message to me.”

Kate took the radio from Negan and nodded her thanks. “Same time next month?”

“I’m sending Simon to oversee the first official pickup.” Negan climbed into the Suburban.

“And we will set aside everything we collect and produce for you to take your 25%.”

Negan thought for a moment. “You know, I had thought we would take 25% of everything but that will work better.” He hooked a gloved finger under her chin. “Good thinking. Until next time, little girl.”

He turned the key in the ignition and the men secured the trucks and hopped into the cabins. Kate stepped back as the trucks started up and Matt signaled for the gates to open. The convoy departed and Kate watched them through the narrowing slit of the closing gate.

The two halves came together with a clang and Lib immediately rounded on Kate. “WHAT THE HELL, KATE! WHAT WAS THAT BACK THERE?”

“What? What did I miss?” Lyssa was confused.

“She and Negan…!” Lib started.

Kate’s face hardened. “NO LIB!” She quieted her voice. “Not…here.” She pointed to Matt. “Get Easton. I want you two and the rest of the council in the conference room in half an hour. Got it?”

Matt nodded and left for the infirmary.

Lib tried to follow Kate towards her rooms. “Lib, please. I need some fucking space right now, okay? A half an hour.”

Lib paused and then nodded.

Kate quickly walked to her apartment, pulled off her bloodied jacket and top, and collapsed on her bed. Legs hanging over the side, she stared up at the ceiling for several minutes collecting her thoughts. Sighing, she got up and walked over to the jacket. Searching the pockets, she removed first the ring and the key. Putting the key on her bedside stand, she looked at the ring for a long moment before closing her hand and walking to her bathroom.

Kate examined herself in the mirror. She looked tired and somehow older, like the weight of the world had come crashing down on her. And on her should was a fucking bite mark. _Thank God that was covered up. That would have been a little harder to keep under wraps._ Taking a cloth she ran it under cold water and washed the gore from her face around her neck.

Satisfied, Kate walked into the closet and rummaged around in a dresser before throwing on an oversized t-shirt. She paused for a moment before opening a jewelry box. Lifting the lid she pulled out a long chain necklace with souvenir dog tags from a long ago family trip to the Smithsonian. Fingering the old raised writing on the tags, she removed them and put the ring on the chain and, slipping it around her head, she slid to the floor. She knew it was in her mind but it felt like a foreign and heavy weight around her neck. And it was a weight she knew she would become accustomed to. Kate sat there, flipping the ring around and around in her fingers as she listened to the conference door open and shut as her family members, her lieutenants, arrived and spoke in hushed tones.

Glancing at her watch to confirm that thirty minutes had passed, she got up, tucked the ring in her shirt, and walked into the room. If they were surprised to see her come from the bathroom, they didn’t show it.

Kate stood at the head of the table and the gathered leaders quieted. "I know you all have a lot of questions so I will be as brief as possible. I left because I wanted to see what kind of a threat Negan posed before I agreed to a tribute. Long story, short, his compound The Sanctuary is a little over an hour east of here. It is a massive operation in an old factory. They have hundreds of people including a well-organized fighting force. In addition, Negan has several semiautonomous outposts, three for sure but likely more, that extend his outreach and oversee the protection of and tributes from other large settlements. He literally showed me a small warehouse where they keep all their weapons. Even though we could hold our own and do serious damage, we would not win that fight."

Kate paused for a moment. "Negan knows this and he doesn't relish the idea of a war with us. There are other communities we know nothing about and there are large herds on the other side of the mountain. So I decided to accept his offer protection and give him tribute. Each month his representatives will take 25% of our goods secured for that month."

Eliza spoke up. "But that's insane. Our medical supplies are invaluable to us!"

"We can continue on fine without them. The fact if the matter is, Negan wants what we have and I was able to negotiate it from half to a quarter. This arrangement is not like ones he has with other communities. We are his allies. If he has a fight and needs a force we will send it to him. Negan has promised if we are attacked that he will provide assistance."

"Is it your gratitude that made you kiss him in the truck earlier?" Lib spat at Kate.

"WHAT?!" Lyssa looked from Lib to Kate. The rest voiced their opinions at once and they all blended into one unintelligible noise.

Lib sneered. "When I brought my copies back I found them making out in the truck."

"Enough Lib!" Kate was turning red. The table quieted. "You don't know what you are talking about!" Kate pulled the chain from around her neck and tossed it onto the table. The ring looked dull in the fluorescent light.

"Is..is that an engagement ring?" Gill asked softly.

Kate laughed as she sat down but there was no humor in it. "Yes..well no... It's a wedding ring. I wanted to be sure Negan would accept an alliance and not subjugate us that I threw myself into the deal as an enticement. And it worked. He has a harem of ‘wives,’” Kate made quotes in the air with her fingers. "woman who have offered to exchange sex for exemption from work and his own credit system. To put it bluntly, Negan and I had sex and we will continue to do so as long as our arrangement continues. Everyone up to speed?"

"Well, yes and no." Easton was blushing. "What do you want as to do about it?"

"Do?" Kate asked, confused.

"Do you want us to like...avenge your honor?"

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't want you to do anything. I wasn't forced or coerced. Negan didn't suggest it. I came up with it on my own."

"But why?" Lib asked, softly.

"Look, I saw an opportunity and I took it. And it paid off. We get an ally able to protect us from other groups or herds in exchange for a price we can handle." Kate paused. "And who knows, maybe we will be able to renegotiate later."

"But what does that mean for us, for you?" Matt asked.

"It means Negan told his men to not harass us without us being the instigators. It means that I bought us safety.”

"Kate, why are you telling us all of this?” Tamra, previously silent, asked.

“Because this arrangement necessitates I may have to leave on those collections days to go to The Sanctuary for a night or two to fulfill some of my duties. In that case, we need to make sure someone is in charge then.” Kate placed her palms on the table. “And because I need you to know the whole truth. I want to be transparent.. For a very long time, it has been just us and that is likely going to change. As decent as this arrangement is, it does weaken us. I will have to spend time away from here. That is a security risk to me. Eventually, other groups are going to find us and we need to be prepared. People here know we are no longer alone and they are going to ask questions. I  am going to call a meeting tonight and explain to people why there might be trucks rolling up here. But, and let me make this very clear, the exact terms of mine and Negan’s agreement does not leave this room. Especially the wife part. Got it?

They nodded.

"This is a big new world we exist in now. And I fully intend to prevent us from getting caught with our ass hanging out again. That means mandatory weapons training for everyone here ten and older. It means we need to be watching our roads better and setting up watch towers.” A thought passed through Kate's mind and her eyes lit up. "Lyssa, do you remember we toyed with the idea of an official emblem for Haven?"

Lyssa nodded. "The dove and the snake."

“Make it official. I want a flag for Haven. I want people to have identification, maybe armbands? When they leave this place. Maybe stamps or signet rings of some kind. If there is conflict, I want us to be easily identified and I want it known we were not the aggressor. Easton, Eliza, can your brother design something?” Their younger brother Kyle was still a teenager but he already made a living as one of the artists in Haven.

“We will tell him,” Eliza said.

“Good. Phoebe?”

The quiet girl jumped, not expecting to be addressed. "Ye....yes?"

"I want you to prioritize getting any radios we have working. Especially the ones for longer distance. The Sanctuary has several communication hubs and I want us to be able to match them."

Phoebe nodded.

"Okay, that's everything. The lockdown is lifted and everyone should return to their duties as usual. I will address everyone at dinner and at tomorrow’s meeting, we will discuss implementing these changes I have discussed. Got it?" The group nodded. "Great, I will see you at dinner."

Kate grabbed the ring off the table and went to her room. She added the key to the chain and slipped it over her head once more.

Kate went about her day as normal. There was paperwork to go through still, plans to be made, schedules to coordinate. All the boring necessities of leadership. It was two in the afternoon when soft knocking on her door broke her concentration. "Yes?"

"You busy?" Lib peaked around the door. "I have a sandwich from the kitchens. You never radioed about lunch so Brenda sent something."

Kate's stomach grumbled and she was suddenly aware of how hungry she was. "Thanks, I am hungry."

Lib held out a folder. "I also brought updated inventory on everything we do have currently."

"Thanks" Kate mumbled through a mouth of food and swallowed.

There was a moment of tense, awkward silence between them before they both started talking at the same time.

Look, I'm really sorry about calling..." Lib started.

"I'm sorry about yelling..." Kate said at the same time. They broke off laughing. "Lib, I'm sorry I yelled at you. It wasn't right. Not just because you are one of my seconds but because you are my sister and have always been loyal to me."

"I'm sorry I called you out in front of everyone before you explained. I should have known you had your reasons and wasn't just doing something stupid." Lib said.

"Thank you. " Kate grew soft. "It wasn't an easy decision. I question it, but I feel like this is the right thing to do now."

Lib thought for a moment. Kate's intuition was respected at Haven and it was one of the reasons she met every single person who wanted to join Haven personally. "I trust you. I think you are playing with fire. Negan is obviously dangerous."

Kate's smiled weakened. "I know. Which us why it was a good thing to give him what he wanted and to bind myself to him in a unique way. We are allies, Lib. And we need to figure out what that means to us."

"Hmm." Kate could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "Well, have you decided what to tell people tonight?"

"I'm working on it now. I want to keep it simple yet uplifting."

Lib nodded, "I'll see you at dinner. I'm sure it will be perfect."

And it was. In the middle of the dinner shift, Kate spoke to most, minus those on the wall and some teams of scavengers, of Haven from a stage built into the wall. She told them they lived in a bigger world now with bigger threats. That they had been discovered by a group as powerful as them, if not more. She told them of an alliance and a promise of protection in exchange for goods. She also warned that just because they had allies did not mean they could be on complacent and complacency is death. "And finally, with bigger threats becoming a real possibility, we will be implementing training in the coming weeks to ensure that every able man woman and child will know how to defend themselves. Together, we can make Haven a stronghold of safety."

Kate stepped down off the stage to the sound of excited whispers and discussion. Mostly reassured, the people of Haven did not seek to question her, but to offer thanks and encouragement as Kate surveyed the room looking for the one face she was missing. Not finding it among her followers, Kate sighed and made her way to a set of dorms close to the dining hall.

Kate knocked on the door to the former resident director apartment suite and it opened to reveal Evelyn. "You weren't at dinner." She said to her mother.

Evelyn eyed Kate up and down before turning her back on her daughter and walking back into her home. Kate followed her in, shutting the door behind her. Evelyn sniffed. "I thought you would have come to see me when you got back and you didn’t."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I had things that needed to be done and didn’t have free time. And now I do which is why I am here.”  
  
Evelyn rolled her eyes in return. “You didn’t have free time to tell your mother you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere? Please.” She smiled and then grew serious. “Leaving Haven and going off to some strange place, with strange people, dangerous people, and no protection? What were you thinking? Seriously?”

“I was playing the odds, Mom. You WEREN’T there. He bashed someone’s head in with a fucking baseball bat. I’ve….I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Kate sat on the couch and supported her head with her hands. “I needed to see what we were up against and I wasn’t willing to put more people in that situation. It’s bad enough that I gave them Dr. Carson.” Kate shook her head thoughtfully. “I guess it’s a good thing Negan doesn’t know he is a fairly mediocre one.”

“Negan. Is that a first name or a last name?” Evelyn asked.

“I don’t know. He never said. He is just ‘Negan’ I guess.”

“Like Cher?” Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

Kate looked at her mother, somewhat annoyed. “I guess? Why do you care?”

Evelyn feigned nonchalance. “Oh, I don’t know. Just curious as to what my eldest daughters new last name is. You know, since she got married. But Mrs. Kate Negan has a sort of ring to it, regardless.”

“Lib or Gill?”

“Lib, but I didn’t appreciate hearing it from her.” Evelyn began to scold Kate. “You should have come and told me yourself. Were you planning on keeping me in the dark on this or…”

“What do you think I was planning on telling you when I came over just now?” Kate interrupted her mother, quietly.

“Oh…” Evelyn was properly chastised. “I’m sorry.” She sat down awkwardly next to her daughter. “So… what is he like?”

Kate groaned and rubbed at her head. “I don’t know. He is charming as much as he is terrifying. He swears like a sailor and his people worship him like a god. He has incredible amounts of resources, he doesn’t need ours, but he wants them. It was never a question of whether or not we would be giving him a tribute but how much.” She laid her head on her mother’s lap and Evelyn began to stroke her hair. “He several wives. He doesn’t ask them to be wives, they approach him. I knew he wanted me and I took advantage of that.”

“Are…are you happy?”

Kate laughed cynically. “Happy? I don’t know how to feel about it. I think I made the right decision. We have an alliance now which, in theory, puts us in a better position of power for a small price. But I don’t know.”

“Was he…” Evelyn struggled for the words. “Kind….gentle?” There was worry in her voice.

Kate sat up abruptly and looked her mother in the face. “Mom, I’m okay. My mood is because I’m overwhelmed from processing everything and thinking about all the ways that life will change for us. Not because I’ve gone through anything traumatic.”

The fear in her mother’s face was tangible. “I just…you disappeared and I didn’t know where you went and then I hear from your sister that you’ve basically exchanged sex for protection for us and I…” Tears began to spill from her eyes.  
  
Kate hugged her mother. “Mommy, it’s okay. I’m fine.”

Evelyn cried into her daughter’s shoulder. “It is just so damn…hard sometimes. I spent most of your life keeping you safe and now you are some important person. And I can’t keep you safe anymore. I can’t BE there for you anymore.” She took a shaky heaving breath and lifted her head, wiping at her eyes.  
  
“You are there for me. You are here for me, right now. Trust me. I’m okay. I wouldn’t have proposed the deal with Negan if I thought he was going to harm me. The place he lives, The Sanctuary, the wives are taken care of and shown respect. I have a place of respect there. And there is a zero tolerance policy on sexual violence.” Kate smiled. “So, yes, Negan was kind.” She blushed. “More than kind really. I have my own separate space and everyone there knows who I am. It was a very…satisfying and productive trip.”

Evelyn looked at her daughter. “Satisfying?”

Kate sighed. “I sold my virginity to an older man in exchange for an alliance and goods. I got what I wanted and he was a competent lover. What more do you want me to say?”

She rolled her eyes. “How very ‘Skye O’Malley’ of you.”

“Life isn’t a romance novel, Mom. Or if it is, it certainly isn’t going to wind up all neat and tidy.” Kate leaned into her mother.

“How old is he, Kate?”

Evelyn felt Kate tense. “Almost fifty. But he doesn’t look it. He is very tall and dark.”

“Fifty! I’m fifty! You can’t have men in my dating pool!” Evelyn mocked disappointment. “There are so few of them now…”

Kate smiled. “I’m pretty certain you would hate him. Lib hates him. He has a very…offbeat sense of humor. It’s hard to tell if he is being funny or being threatening. Because he is dangerous.” She said, more subdued.

“Great, a charming asshole. I think you are playing with fire, Kate.”

She laughed. “You know, Lib said the same thing to me.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Be careful. Please?”

Kate sighed. “I will. I may be playing with fire, but sometimes you have to set a controlled burn to prevent a forest fire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an aside, if you are looking for some really well-written romance novels, the Skye O'Malley books by Bertrice are fantastic. Honestly, most of her work is pretty good.


	11. Heartbreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it has been over a month since I updated. Wow. It’s kind of crazy because I work on this fic daily. Part of the reason it has been so long is because this chapter ended up being literally twice the length I usually post. This was one of those chapters you really want to split up but can’t because it just wouldn’t work that way. So you soldier on. The second reason it has been so long since I updated is because in the last month I packed up and moved from the state I was going to grad school in back to my home state. And it is going to be a while probably before I update again because I got a lot of writing related to career things I need to be doing before September so I can properly graduate. But I promise I will keep writing and hopefully updating at this same pace. Enjoy!

It was two weeks before Kate saw Negan again. Two blissfully quietly and, despite the implementation of weapons training and the building of sentry towers, rather routine weeks. Kate was working in her room when the radio she kept next to her squawked with Matt's voice. "Uh, Kate?"

She picked it up and pressed the talk button. "Yes?"

"Negan is here. I let him in the gate."

Kate gulped. "What?"

"Yeah, It’s just him and...Hey!"

Kate winced as feedback and the sound of shuffling came from the other side.

"Hello...Kate." Negan's voice was low and slow as he drew out her name into two syllables.

"Hello, Negan. You're early. Tribute pickup isn’t for another two weeks."

His laugh was growly and sexy. "I’m not here for a fucking tribute."

"Then why are you here?" Kate asked, annoyed.

"What, does a man need a specific reason to come spend some quality time with his wife?" Kate could picture him shrugging.

"Jesus Christ, Negan! What do you not get about being discreet?”

“Ohhh...I am so fucking sorry, little girl. I fucking forgot about that.” There was a smirk in his voice.

“Don’t give me that bullshit Negan.” Kate made a disgruntled noise. “Can…can someone just escort him here? Please?"

There was more fumbled squawking as the radio sounded like it was tossed. "He is on his way," Matt said.

Kate looked at the second hand on the clock on her desk. Rubbing at her temples, Kate watched it count down a minute. _Why is he here??_ Picking up the radio she spoke into it. "Matt? Did anyone who wasn't up to speed hear what Negan said?" Kate had given permission to her lieutenants to reveal more details of the arrangement to a select few people.

"Negative. It was just me. I suspected he might pull something like that."

"Good thinking."

"Any idea why he is here? Should we go on alert?"

"I have no clue what he wants. But no, I don't think an alert is necessary. I would rather not draw attention to his presence."

"Got it. Let me know if you need anything.

"Will do." Kate put the radio down. "Lyssa?" She called out.

"Yes?" Lyssa said, opening the door. She was standing guard today.

"Negan is in Haven and will probably arrive here shortly." Lyssa's face paled. "No, it's okay. Just let him in. Lyssa reassured, nodded.

Kate sat there as the minutes passed mentally preparing herself to deal with Negan. And as she did, she became more frustrated and cross with him. _No warning, just stalks in like he owns the place. Fuck him! This is my house, I own it._

Kate jumped as the door swung open and interrupted her train of thought. “Here’s Johnny!” Negan exclaimed, quoting The Shining. “Holy shit, this place is nice!”

On his first visit, Kate had never shown Negan her rooms. If Negan’s décor style was opulent porn set, Kate’s was 1950’s home and garden. A kitchenette was directly left of the door complete with a very old and expensive looking dining set. The wall to the right was covered floor to ceiling in bookshelves that held among other decorative things, a collection of books, official looking paperwork, and a rather impressive collection of record albums. A vintage record player and stand sat in the corner and jazz music softly played from the many old speakers placed along the walls. In the left corner set a comfortable looking couch, chair, and a matching tiered coffee and end table and a pair of lamps straight out of Mad Men. A large print hung above the sofa. In fact, various pieces of art hung on the walls. A low credenza sat next to the door into, what Negan realized was the conference room, and was a full bar set. Finally, directly across from the door was a pair of windows that overlooked an overgrown track and field stadium draped in funkily patterned curtains. And in between them Kate sat at a desk. “Yes?” She asked him.

Negan stalked towards her, Lucille hanging by his side. He ran a gloved finger on the top of the desk. “Miles Davis…nice touch. Fucking classy.”

Kate looked at him, quizzically. “I’m surprised you recognized it.”

Negan scoffed at her. “I may be rough around the edges but I’m not some dumb fucking clueless hick.” He leaned Lucille against the corner of the desk.

Kate shrugged. _Well, you are full of surprises._ “It helps me concentrate on work.” Kate stood up and pointed to the bar. “Can I get you a drink?”

Negan grinned at her. “A whiskey would be goddamn _amazing_ right now.”

As Kate brushed past him, Negan suddenly grabbed her from behind, snaked his arms around her waist, and started kissing her neck. “Ah!” Kate squeaked, suppressing a scream. She felt his touch down to her core and she reflexively leaned into him. “Negan…I have important things to do…”

“Cancel them.” He spoke into her skin.

“I can’t just fucking cancel my day.” Gathering her mental strength, Kate turned around in Negan’s arms and placed her hand on his broad chest. “What are you doing here?”

Negan made a dissatisfied grunt at her evasive maneuvers. “I had to take a trip to the outpost and decided to drop in while I was already in the fucking neighborhood.”

“You could have at least given me a heads up.”

Negan followed Kate’s gaze to the radio he had given her on her desk. “Well, ex-fucking-cuse me, little girl. I didn’t think that was necessary.”

Kate disentangled herself from his arms and went to pour him a drink. Negan dropped himself into the chair. “My people need notice so your arrival doesn’t cause a panic. She handed him his drink and sat across from him on the coffee table. "And I can't just drop everything to accommodate you."

Negan grinned. "And why the hell not?"

"Because I have a community the size of a Midwestern town to run. Would I be allowed to demand your attention whenever you deign to have me at The Sanctuary?"

The smile left Negan's eyes. "No."

"What could possibly make you think you get to demand my attention here? My life does not revolve around you." Kate saw his expression darken at her challenge and she smiled.

"God, I want to fuck that smirk off your face." He finished his drink in one gulp and put the glass on the floor.

"I know," Kate said. She hesitantly leaned forward and brushed her lips against Negan’s. He smelled of cologne and tasted of sweat and whiskey. “Sometimes I want to fuck the arrogance out of you.”

Negan growled and threaded his other hand into Kate's hair, drawing her to him. Slowly he rose, taking her with him. Kate moaned a mixture of contentment and pain at his rough handling. She felt her legs make contact with the edge of the desk and Negan released her to lift her up on top of it. Kate grabbed his wrists. "Negan...NO."

He stopped, flustered. "What?"

They were on eye level and Kate could see the raw heat that burned in them. She moved her hands to his face. "I’m not saying 'no' forever. Just for right now. I really do mean it that I am too busy right now."

Negan dropped his arms and stepped away. "I know what 'no' means, little girl."

There was something in his voice that Kate couldn't identify. _Disappointment? Hurt?_ She smiled at him softly. "As much as I would enjoy for you to take me right here on this desk," she said, sliding down. "Judgement Day is a very busy one here at Haven.” Kate sat in her chair behind the desk.

“What the fuck is Judgement Day?” Negan said, sitting in the chair across from her.

“One day a month is set aside to administer punishments for crimes. Judgement Day.” Kate leaned back in her chair. “And we also introduce new members to Haven if there are any.”  Kate looked down at a paper on her desk. “There are two punishments scheduled today and six introductions. Which is more than we have had in a while actually.”

“You set aside a whole day…for fucking punishments?” Negan asked with incredulity. He put his boots up on the desk.

Kate glanced at them with an annoyed expression. “Not the whole day. And we only have a welcome dinner if we have newcomers.”

“Welcome dinner…”

“It’s more like better dinner options that no one has to pay extra credits for.” Kate shrugged. “It gives people something to look forward to.” Kate glanced at the clock. “And I need to get ready for it. I have some things to do beforehand.” She got up from the desk and placed a hand on Negan’s shoulder.

Negan watched Kate saunter into the other room with one raised eyebrow. Kate disappeared through the other door and Negan was keenly aware that she had left him alone. Curious, Negan wandered over to the kitchenette and started opening cupboards.

Kate had only left Negan alone for twenty minutes and she found him flipping through her record albums. “See anything you like?”

Negan tensed in surprise, his back to her. He held up a Journey album. “Classic rock? Very impressive.” Turning Negan took a look at her and whistled. “Very fucking impressive.”

Kate had changed from a plain shirt and leggings into heels and a form-fitting white dress with one large, vertical black stripe down the middle of the front and back. She had pulled her hair into a high ponytail and black teardrop earrings hung from her ears. Kate raised an eyebrow. “Anything else? If I left it out, I didn’t care about you finding it.”

“You have terrible fucking handwriting. And what is the binder of people?”

Kate walked over to the shelves, pulled the large book off, and placed it on the table. Kate shrugged. “This is a record of everyone who lives here. People are a resource too, Negan.” She pointed to the columns. “Name, date of birth, the day they arrived here, current profession, and their identifying number. Which is how we keep track of credits, among other things.” She shut the book and put it back on the self.

“Sounds like you have a nice little system, a lot like The Sanctuary.”

“We are both very organized. It makes sense.” She said with a shrug. Kate opened a desk drawer and pulled out an ID card and handed it to Negan. On it was a 10 digit number and a picture of a slightly younger looking Kate. “One of the benefits of living on a college campus is that we eventually got the ID machine working and we have thousands of blanks. Anyone who works gets one of these and has to show it when buying and exchanging goods.” She took the card from his hand and tossed it on the desk. She reached over and flipped off the neglected record player that had been silent for some time. “Time to leave,” she said, throwing open the door and surprising Lyssa who still stood guard.

They followed Kate outside, through path across the lawn, and inside another building to a set of dimly lit rooms. Matt was there along with Gill and Lib. Gill handed Kate a bunch of papers that Kate glanced at. “I want to see the convicts first.”

Gill and Lyssa nodded and left. Lib eyed Negan suspiciously. “Why is he here, Kate?”

“Because he is Lib,” Kate said, flatly. Matt opened a set of curtains against a wall revealing two-way glass. Seeing Negan’s expression, Kate answered the question before he could answer it. “This was a social sciences building and the criminal justice students used these for practice.”

They watched as a man and a teenaged girl were brought in and placed in separate rooms. Without explaining herself, Kate left.

It was not often that Negan felt like he was out of the loop and he recognized that Kate was deliberately not explaining herself to keep him on his toes. He kept his eyes on the first prisoner as Kate entered the room and sat across from him. “Confess your sins.” She said with a very authoritarian tone.

The man across from her paled. “I’m sorry…I…”

“CONFESS your sins…”

The man gulped. “I…I got drunk…I started a fight. I put a man in the hospital. But…but he is okay now!”

“This is not the first time we have spoken, Ernie.” Kate looked at the paper in front of her. “The first was when you got drunk and caused a disturbance trying to get into the wrong home. The second was when you got drunk, took a car, and crashed it into the pond.” She leaned back in her chair. “You have a habit of getting drunk and doing stupid things Ernie. I don’t like stupidity. Stupidity is more than fucking dangerous in this world now.”

“But…but…” Ernie stammered.

"Ernie, you are a good person, but you have a problem. Which is why you are going to spend some time detoxing and then six months working on the wall." Ernie started blubbering. "You need to learn how to make some better choices and think about your actions. And if I see you across from me again, I WILL exile you." She got up to leave.

Ernie was heaving sobs. Kate softened her tone and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you, Ernie. Don't let me down.”

From the other room, Negan watched the man’s face light up, inspiration and resolve settled into his expression at the kind words from his leader. Turning his attention to the other room, Negan observed the teenaged girl who sat in stoic silence. She barely reacted as Kate entered and sat across from her.

They stared at each other for several moments before Kate spoke. “Confess your sins.”

“I broke into storage and I stole food.”

Kate looked her over. “Food is a precious resource and the penalty for a first offense at stealing is to lose the first knuckle of all your fingers on one hand.”

“I knew that. My mom is too sick to work. My dad was taking care of us all til he left. The kids were getting hungry.” She shrugged. “I decided it was worth it.”

“You haven’t been here as long as others.” Kate said, abruptly.

“A little over a year.” The girl picked at her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

“What about before?”

“Bunch of places. Refugee camps in the beginning before they were overrun. Other groups, other settlements. Until we got kicked out or left behind because of mom.”

“And you were afraid of that happening here.” It was a statement and not a question.

For the first time, her expression faltered. “Yes.”

“You should have come to someone, Lana.” The girl's eyes started watering. “People are Haven’s most important resource which means that we want them to be healthy and productive. We didn’t know you had been neglected by your father. We have been docking credits from his account for your siblings since you have been here and we found your mother a job she can do.

Lana started crying in earnest at this point. “Thank…you…so…much. What…what will happen to me?”

“There are consequences to every action. And you said you knew them when you decided to steal food.”

Lana wiped at her eyes and nodded. “I understand.”

“But,” Kate said with a hint of a smile. “You have proven yourself to be a very competent lock pick. Which would be hard to do with a mangled hand.”

“I… don’t…”

“You have talent and you want to take care of your family. I can appreciate that so I’m putting you on one of our scavenging teams where your talents will be put to good use. But in payment, I am taking your ring finger from one of your hands, your choice.” 

Tension drained from Lana’s body. “Really?” She asked, hopeful.

Kate nodded. “You’ve been given a second chance.” She looked at Lana over her glasses. “I expect you to make the most of it. I don’t want to have to take your hand next time.”

Lana began crying again, this time from happiness and nodded vigorously, speechless as Kate left.

Kate came back into the observation room, stretching her arms behind her back. "I want to see the newcomers now." Matt and Lib left. Negan was giving her an odd expression. "What?"

"Chopping fingers and hands off. I didn't expect that." Negan leaned back. "Of course I do have a zero tolerance policy for theft, myself. If people can't earn their fucking keep, well, they don't tend to stay around."

"Fear only gets you so far, Negan. I just bought that girls loyalty and it didn't cost me anything."

Negan bristled slightly at the subtle and intentional criticism. "What about the drunk?"

Kate watched as a fresh faced and happy couple was led into one of the rooms behind the glass. "That was a standard punishment for idiotic assault. He will be spending six months on our convict chain gang, likely building a wall expansion." Negan started to say something but she interrupted him. "I need to deal with these people."

This interaction was different, conversational. The couple sitting across from Kate looked nervous but Kate upped the charm and put them at ease.  She asked the pair questions about their path that lead them to Haven, their past careers, and what they would like to do now. They gave practiced replies,like they had given them already before.

"Everything looks in order," Kate said, shuffling papers. "But before we finalize everything, I have three small questions for you."

Their smiles faltered momentarily. They clearly had not been expecting this. "Yes?" The man said.

Kate looked the pair over. "How many of the dead have you killed?"

"I don't know? Dozens likely." The woman said. Her husband nodded in agreement.

"How many people have you killed?"

"Two." they answered in unison and paled.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

The man spoke first. "Well...one...he tried to hurt my wife and..."

Kate raised a hand to stop him. "And the other?"

The woman started openly weeping. "Our son. He was tttttwo and we tried to protect him but he was bitten and...."

Kate laid a hand on the woman. "I am so very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you have been keeping that inside for a while."

The woman nodded as her husband put his arms around her.

Kate smiled at them warmly. "You are more than welcome to become a part of Haven. And I want you to know we have many spiritual leaders and counselors here that you can talk to about your loss if you wish. You are safe here."

The man tenderly kissed the top of his wife's head. "Thank you, so much." He whispered.

Kate got up to leave. "Take all the time you need." She made eye contact with Matt through the glass and nodded. He quietly closed the curtain and left the couple to grieve in private.

Negan was admittedly rather impressed by Kate’s interrogation techniques but that was not a fact that he was willing to share with her. She had come back into the observation room and brushed off his questions, just telling him to follow her again. Which is how, a very short time later, Negan found himself standing backstage in a large auditorium guarded by Gill, as Kate presided over punishments, witnessed by the majority of Haven. Negan knew it was large but, despite seeing her large book of people, he assumed she was bluffing about how many citizens Haven had. She wasn’t.

Negan watched as they solemnly witnessed judgment being executed, first for the drunk, and then for the girl, who lost her finger. There was a brief pause before a group was brought up on stage and the newcomers and four infants were introduced to the crowd.

After congratulating the families, Kate walked backstage to avoid mingling with her people as they slowly filtered out the exits. "Gill, I’m not going to need a guard anymore tonight.” Seeing Gill start to protest, Kate interrupted. “No, it’s okay. If it makes you feel better, post guards by the entrance to my building. Gill hesitated, but then nodded.

“Come with me." Kate ordered Negan. Amused, he obliged and followed her out a side door onto the same long parking lot from earlier in the day.

Above up a hill next to them, the main path circled past all the buildings and people made their way down towards their homes, and later the festively decorated dining hall. And for the first time, Negan realized that they were truly alone.

"What’s the deal with all the babies?" Negan asked. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one. Leaning against the building, he took a drag.

"Children are important and Haven is a relatively safe place in this world to have them." Kate leaned next to him. "And while we aren't aggressive about it, we do encourage people to have children if they want them."

"Fuck for?" Negan said around the smoke in his mouth.

"Plenty of reasons." Kate shrugged. "Many people find children a source of hope and personal strength. The world is decimated and people want to get started on the next generation because life expectancy is shorter." She stared into the distance with an unreadable expression. "And the more of the next generation we can get vaccinated before our supplies run out or expire, the better."

“No shit?”

“There has to be more to life than just existing. Civilization will rise again but we need people for it.”

Negan flipped ashes to the ground. “What kind of people is this new civilization supposed to be made of? One of those mothers looked really fucking young.”

Kate nodded “Sixteen. Her boyfriend is seventeen. Here, if you are over fifteen you are expected to work, contribute in some capacity, and are more or less treated like an adult.” Negan looked at her skeptically. “Within reason. We have rules in place to prevent creepy adults from preying on young men and women.”

“And what happens to people who break them?” Negan raised an eyebrow.

Kate crossed her arms. “Are you asking me what our policy is towards rape? Cause it’s a little fucking insulting you feel the need to ask that."

Negan gave her a look that said he still expected an answer.

"Death usually, either immediate or, if they fear death, slow by doing dangerous unprotected work outside the walls.” Kate paused. “Or worse."

Negan raised squinted at her. "What the fuck does ‘worse’ mean?"

Kate looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, deciding. "I need to show you the Rose Garden.”

The Rose Garden was in reality, very pretty. Set in a remote area behind a building, a low wall in the shape of a horseshoe created a border around rosebushes just starting to bud. A plaque inset into the wall declared it to be a gift of the class of 1987. Kate nodded to the guard standing at the entrance who moved to let her pass. In the center of the garden was a table with a person restrained to it. They were emaciated and, as the breeze passed through, Negan realized emanated a horrendous stench.

A man in the clothes of a minister was standing next to the figure and he looked up as they approached. “Kate.” He said.

“Tomas.” She replied acknowledging him.

He glanced at the person. “He should pass soon. Will you be merciful and end his suffering, Cousin?”

Kate’s faced hardened. “No, absolutely not.”

Tomas shook his head in disappointment and moved away from the table.

Negan recoiled in horror, his hand automatically going to the hunting knife at his belt. “Jesus Christ!” The skin on the man’s genitals and thighs had been flayed open. The exposed tissue was gangrenous and line of infection spread up and down his body. “What the FUCK, Kate!”

Kate didn’t react. She stared down impassively at the unconscious dying man. “This…” she struggled for the right word. “Piece of shit…raped a child, a little girl. Who then, because of… it died, turned, and attacked her younger brother. Thankfully, we were able to amputate his arm and save him.” She turned to Negan. He slowly relaxed. “This is what ‘worse’ means. Child molesters, child rapists, they don’t get a quick and easy death. This,” she said, waving a hand at the body. “Is the fifth time I have had to enact this punishment but it has been two years since the last one.”

Negan watched Kate watch the man for several long minutes. They were facing the setting sun and it cast a warm glow across the landscape that clashed harshly with the horror contained in this beautiful garden. In this light, Kate’s hair looked almost red and, coupled with the reserved hatred that burned in her gaze, made her look quite fierce. Kate turned to leave and spoke to the guard. “I’m done here. Let me know when he turns. I think the parents should be given the opportunity to finally end it."

They walked down the path for a bit before he spoke. “Fuck, little girl. That shit is brutal.” Negan looked at Kate with something close to admiration.

“I know. It needs to be.” Kate thought for a while before responding again. "I understand the need for brutality. I just have found that I am taken more seriously when the brutality is used sparingly."

 Anger flashed through Negan at the jab towards his practices. "I run a tight fucking ship, little girl. People know the rules and they follow them because of the consequences."

"Fear is not the same thing as loyalty." The look she gave him was condescending and haughty.

"My people are loyal to me. They know who they are. They are ALL Negan.” He laughed, dryly. “And you are too, little girl."

"I am not one of your people! I don't owe you my loyalty and I’m not afraid of you!"

Negan abruptly grabbed her arm, pulled Kate off the path, and backed her up against the side of the nearest building. He pressed a hand against her chest. Kate's heart was beating wildly. Negan grinned, wickedly. "Not afraid? Hmm?"

Kate swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “Adrenaline”

“Hmmm….really?” Negan threaded a hand into her ponytail and pulled her head back, exposing her neck and pressed his lips against her pulse. “From what then?”

In his peripherals, Negan saw her throat shift as she gulped.  “Excitement?” She said, breathily.

Negan raised his head and touched his nose to hers. He looked into her eyes. "I think it’s a little of both." He relaxed his grip on her ponytail, pulling out the elastic band and releasing her hair. He leaned back a little looking her over. Kate was biting her lip as anxiety and lust played across her face. "No one owes me their loyalty, I fucking expect it. Especially from you, because you are my wife and that is what wives are fucking supposed to be. Loyal. Which means you are more me than any of my Saviors because I have been balls deep inside you. No more criticism, Got it?"

His words sent a thrill of excitement through her and she nodded.

Negan smiled. "Good." He stepped away from her and but Kate didn’t move. "That shit back there, that is something unexpected but I like it. The way you handled those interrogations, that shit damn near gave me a raging hard on." A heavy look crossed his face. "My balls have been blue since I got here and unless you tell me otherwise, I am going to fuck you right here, right now against this wall.”

Kate knew that with one word she could stop him. They could go back to her rooms and continue this there. Or have a conversation about inventory and reports. But she didn’t want to do that. She wanted him, wanted this. “But…but it’s a church.”

Negan looked up and noticed a rather large cross on the roof. “Huh.” He ran a hand down her arm and Kate felt goosebumps raise on the skin under her clothes. “All the better for God to hear you call out his name.”

It was so wrong and so exciting. Kate licked her lips as Negan came closer. “Someone could see us.”

“Then I guess we better be fucking quick and quiet, little girl.” He kissed her, more gently than Kate thought he would.

“Yes.”

Negan hummed his approval into her neck as one hand started trailing up Kate's leg, taking the hem of her dress with it. "Ah!" She gasped as he slipped his hand into her panties and started toying with her with his gloved hand. She was already wet and Negan knew it. Laughing low he slipped a finger, then two inside her, never stopping the motions of his insistent thumb pressed against her clit. In response Kate massaged at his growing erection through his jeans as they kissed, tongues sparring, each trying to gain an upper hand.

Kate broke away first as she began to shudder, feeling the first tastes of a coming crisis. "Oh…GOD" she panted, suddenly weak and supported her head on his shoulder. "Don't stop, please don't." She whined softly into his chest.

Kate felt the chuckle deep in Negan’s chest before she heard it. But it wasn't enough. She could feel herself rising over and over, feel herself clenching over his fingers but the release she wanted wouldn't come. Desperate Kate fumbled at his belt. "I need you, Negan. I need you inside of me. Fuck me, please." Kate was both aroused and angry at herself for asking, practically begging for his cock.

"Whatever you fucking want, little girl." Negan swiftly released his erection and lifted Kate onto it, pleased at her sharp intake of breath as he buried himself into her. Kate wrapped her legs around Negan and braced herself against his shoulders as he started thrusting. Negan watched in fascination as Kate’s face screwed up in distress as she concentrated on staying quiet as she started to come.

It was too much, all of it. The feeling of the rough bricks against her backside as she moved up and down, the breeze across her sweaty face, Negan as he slid back and forth within her, the feel of his zipper against her sex, the need to be quiet, and the fear of being caught. She felt wild, wanton, and dirty. And Kate loved it. She came, hard and quivering. She clung to Negan, wrapping her arms around his neck and whimpered his name over and over again with a string of expletives.

“Negan… oh, _GOD_ …FUCK YES…Negan…Negan!” His name on her lips sent Negan over the edge, he spilled himself into her with a grunt, and they both collapsed against the wall, catching their breath.

Kate slowly lowered one leg and then the other, releasing Negan. He straightened, adjusted himself, and zipped back up as Kate tugged at her dress. She reached a hand to her hair and realized it was hopelessly messed up. Negan handed Kate her hair tie. "Fucking shit, little girl! Now that was the kind of goddamn reception I was hoping for."

Kate struggled to run her fingers through her tangled hair and put it back to the semblance of what it once was, but she knew it was pointless. She chose her words carefully. "I also enjoyed this little encounter."

Negan grinned at her. "You strike me as the kind of woman who has always wanted to be fucked in public."

Kate's blush was all the answer he needed. "You hungry?" She asked abruptly.

Negan raised an eyebrow at her. “Hungry for what, exactly?” He grabbed her wrists and pulled Kate towards him.

She let out a sigh. “You are a horny bastard, you know that, right? I mean food.”

Negan wasn't thinking about food but as she said it, he realized that he was. “At the party?”

Kate shuddered at the thought. “And deal with five million questions about you? Not fucking likely. I have food in my room.”

Negan looked at her suspiciously. “You…are going to cook?”

Kate shrugged. “You want me to play the wife, I’ll play wife.”

 Negan was not optimistic about the quality of Kate’s cooking but he was willing to let this play out and see where it went for his own curiosity. “Okay, I’ll bite.” He said, grinning. Negan followed her back to her rooms, struggling to hold a smile back at the scandalous looks the guards gave each other at Kate’s obviously disheveled appearance.

Back in her room, Kate turned on the oven to preheat. “Pick something to listen to.” She disappeared into the other room and came back to the sounds of Bob Seger playing on the record player.

Negan was sprawled out on the couch. He had removed his jacket and scarf and laid them over a chest at the foot of the bed, leaving him in a crisp, white shirt. “That is an interesting look.”

Kate looked down. She was barefoot, wearing loose pants and a sweatshirt and had taken her makeup off. “This is my place and I don’t feel the need to dress to impress you here. Bras and heels are fucking uncomfortable.” She opened the refrigerator and stuck her head inside. “Red wine or white wine?” Kate asked.

Negan sat up, amused. “White.”

Kate emerged with a bottle and a dish and set them on the counter. “Good, I hate red.” Taking the cloth from the dish she placed it in the oven and set the timer. “I hope you like lasagna.” She said, opening a cupboard and pulling down some dishes and cups.

“Lasagna?”

“Yes, I prepped it yesterday. There is enough for two people.” Kate pulled a corkscrew out of a drawer.

“Let me.” Negan said, getting up and taking the wine from Kate as she struggled to open it.

“Thanks.” Kate instead began to set the table with two settings. Her back to Negan she heard the cork pop and the sound of glasses being filled. _There is something almost normal about this. Almost, but not quite._ Kate thought.

“Here.” Negan handed Kate a drink. She took a sip. It was sweet and cold. Negan resumed his place on the couch. “What should we do while we wait?” There was innuendo in his voice.

Kate opened a drawer on her desk. “Actually, I wanted to run something by you?”

“Oh?”

She pulled a folder out and sat next to him. She placed her glass on the table. “Remember how you told your people my people were off limits?”

“Yes…” Negan was unsure of where Kate was going with this.

“I have decided that anyone who leaves here will be wearing an identifying emblem for easy identification. Most likely an armband of some kind. I also have plans to create stamps or seals for official missives and to mark our produce.”

“We do that. Well, mark our weapons at least.”

“You do?” Negan withdrew his knife from the sheath at his belt and handed it to her in response. On the grip was an etching of a baseball bat and barbed wire. Kate traced a finger along it. “Lucille.” She handed it back, blade facing her. She had a mental image of Negan plunging the knife into her torso but dismissed it.

He sheathed his weapon. “Speaking of which, where is my dirty girl?”

“Next to the desk where you left her earlier.” Kate nodded in Lucille’s general direction.

Negan took a sip of his wine, leaned back, and crossed one leg over his knee. “So what should my Saviors be on the lookout for?”

Kate tapped the portfolio. “That is what I wanted to show you. I have been knocking around some ideas with our artists. Take a look.”

Curious, Negan flipped through the notebook. There were so many different variations but they were all of the same subject matter- a bird and a snake. Negan thought back to their first conversation alone in the truck on the way to The Sanctuary. “The snake and the dove. It’s…” He glanced at her, “appropriate.” In the back of the file on a piece of notebook paper was a sketch. It was simpler than the others. And, unlike most of the others, the bird and the snake weren’t in conflict. The bird held the snake in its talons and they flew forward together. Negan held it up. “Use this one.”

Kate took it from him. “That’s a reference piece I doodled to give the artists an idea of what I wanted.”

“It’s fucking good. Simple and gets the point across.”

She thought for a moment. “I suppose you are right.”

Negan crossed his hands behind his head. “You lead, you come out with fucking sick punishments, you fuck well, and you can draw. What other shit are you good at, little girl?”

“Good to know I ‘fuck well.’ I have ALWAYS wanted to know that.” Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m pretty decent at cooking, which you will find out in about twenty minutes.”

The album had stopped playing and Kate went to flip it over. “Did you intend to start it on B side?”

“I like the other side better and I have I pretty damn fantastic idea of how to pass the time.” He pointed at his groin with a lewd grin.

“I’m not giving you a pre-dinner blowjob, Negan.” Kate rolled her eyes.

His smile deflated. “Why the fuck not?”

“Because I don’t want to.” Kate crossed her arms. “I was under the impression I’m allowed to say no.”

Negan narrowed his eyes and ran a tongue around his mouth. “Okay, little girl. What do you suggest?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to that. Just later.” Kate bit at her lip. The next song on the A side started playing, “Night Moves,” and an idea came to her. “You wanna make out?”

“Make out?” Negan asked, disbelieving.

“Yeah. When was the last time you made out to music playing from a record album?”

“I haven’t fucking done that since I was a fucking horny fifteen-year-old with my first girlfriend.” Negan laughed.

Kate slowly approached him and straddled Negan’s lap. “Hmmm? Tell me about her.” Kate pressed her lips to his neck. His stubble felt rough under her fingers.

Negan cleared his throat as Kate shifted her head to the other side. “Well, her name was Lisa. And she…mmmmm… kept my balls blue for a whole goddamn summer. JESUS!”

Kate nipped at Negan’s ear while she ran her hands over his shoulders. “Isn’t that the point? All the build-up but none of the release?” She said, rubbing against him.

"I don't damn well expect to be ending this fucking even taking some fucking cold shower and jerking off."

"Of course not." Kate kissed Negan, gently, pulling at his lip. "That would be a waste of a good erection."

Negan picked Kate up and flipped her over onto her back as she giggled. "You are a dirty, dirty girl, little girl."

"Shut up and kiss me like my parents are going to fucking walk in at any moment." She grabbed at his shirt.

Negan pulled back. "Wait. That shit isn’t going to actually happen, right?"

Kate sighed, annoyed. "You are killing my fucking lady boner, Negan. My dad is dead and I don't suspect my mother will be busting in here right now." She put a finger to her lips. "Though I guess in theory she could." Kate pulled him back to her. "It makes it better that way."

Negan grumbled and gave in, returning Kate's advances. They fumbled around at each other for a while, Kate smacking Negan's hand away every time he tried to put it up her shirt. The timer went off and Negan jumped, startled. "Shit!"

Kate looked up at him. Putting a hand over her mouth she stifled a laugh and sat up. "Dinner is ready."

Negan dragged himself off the couch. Grabbing his glass of wine, he sat at the table, watching Kate as she pulled the food out of the oven and prepared for serving. She refilled first his glass and then hers before serving him a piping hot square serving of lasagna. Before taking a seat across from Negan, Kate put on another jazz record.

Negan watched Kate take a bite before starting on his meal. _Better safe than fucking sorry_. If Kate noticed his caution she didn’t comment on it. Negan was surprised to find that the food was actually really good. Despite it being hot he ate quickly and served himself another helping.

The silence stretched between them but it wasn't awkward. It was nice, homey, and Negan wasn't sure how to feel about it. He didn’t know what was going to happen when he showed up unannounced but he didn't foresee a home cooked meal.

Kate broke the silence putting her fork down. "How is Dr. Carson doing?" She asked, interrupting Negan's thoughts.

"Fine, I guess. He's patched a few people up. Nothing big so far. Keeps to himself."

Kate nodded. "Are you enjoying your break here, away from The Sanctuary?"

Negan frowned, taking a sip of wine. "What?"

Kate leaned back, taking a drink. "You know, being in a place where you don't have to be in charge or lead anyone or make any decisions."

With that statement, Kate hit on a feeling that Negan struggling to name all day. Freedom. Kate continued all in a rush "I just know what it feels like to always have to be on and one of the things I liked about my visit to The Sanctuary was that no one expected me to do anything and" She paused, taking a breath. "I was wondering if you felt the same way here."

Negan thought for a moment, thrown by the uncharacteristically anxious tone in Kate's voice. _Maybe it’s the wine._ He thought, looking at the fast emptying bottle. "Yes, I am enjoying being away from The Sanctuary."

The sun had almost set now, casting long shadows in the room. Kate got up to shut the curtains and turn on more lights. Flicking one on next to the couch, she was startled by the sound of clinking plates. Sitting, she turned to watch Negan clearing the table and washing dishes. "Well, that is fucking unexpected."

Negan looked at her over a shoulder and shrugged. "Wife cooks, husband cleans up. Isn’t that the way shit is supposed to be?"

Kate sipped at the wine in her hand. "In my perfect world, maybe? You, however, you I wouldn't expect that from since you act so damn entitled to everything here."

Truth be told, Negan didn’t know why he did it, some autopilot reflection from dinners long ago before all this. Wiping his hands on a dish towel, Negan leaned against the counter. “What can I say? I like a woman who buys me dinner and doesn't expect me to put out." He shot at her.

Kate arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think I don't expect you to put out?"

Negan matched her expression. “Oh?”

"I mean, I COULD have made dessert but I figured you might have an appetite for something....else."

Negan felt his cock twitch. "Like what?" He knew. But he wanted to hear her say the words.

Kate put her glass down on the coffee table. Negan watched her wander over to his jacket and pick up his scarf. Kate fingered the material. She expected it to be rough but it was soft and silken. Inspired, she stalked towards Negan where he still stood, the wine making her bold, and draped the scarf around his neck. "Like holding me down across my desk and fucking me from behind, my hands tied with this." Kate shivered at her own words and Negan closed his eyes as Kate slowly pulled at his shirt and placed a hand on his bare skin. Unbuckling his belt, Kate unfastened the button at the top of his jeans. “But first,” she said, sliding her hand down Negan's pants and smiling at his sharp intake of breath. “First, I believe I owe you something.”

With one hand she cupped him, fingers tangling in the patch of curls while the other drew down the zipper on Negan’s fly, releasing him. Kate watched his face as she stroked him along his length, feeling him grow hard in her hand. Sinking to her knees, she tugged his pants and briefs with her, and slid her tongue, leisurely up and down his cock and around the wet tip. He was salty and smelled of sex. Inhaling deeply, Kate took him into her mouth.

“Fuck!” Negan entwined his hands in Kate’s hair, encouraging her onward. She sucked at him enthusiastically for several long and intense minutes. Negan bucked his hips and he could tell he was close to coming. “Little girl, stop.” Kate was too engrossed in him that she didn’t take notice. “Fuck! STOP.” Negan pulled Kate back and she looked up at him, sheepishly. “I would prefer not to come on your face.” Negan grinned. “At least, not this time.”

Catching his breath, Negan kicked off his shoes and the rest of his pants. Taking one end of the scarf in his hand he pulled, wrapping it around his hand and elbow until he had a serious of loops and placed it on the table. He sat behind her one of the dining chairs, taking his shirt off, and Kate shifted on her hands and knees to face him. Negan laughed. “As much as I like you fucking barefoot and on your fucking hands and knees in a kitchen, I’m going to need you to stand up, little girl.” Kate hesitated for a moment and opened her mouth to speak. “No fucking arguments. You want me to fuck you across the desk like a whore which means I am the one fucking in charge right now, little girl. Not you. So stand the _fuck_ up.”

His expression was dark and filled with barely contained lust. Kate shivered, enjoying this game. She did as Negan asked and waited, tense. “Take off your fucking pants and come here.” He crooked a finger at her and pointed to his lap. Kate sat on his lap, facing away from him. Negan ran his rough hands up her smooth legs and under her shirt, slowly pulling it up and over her head and leaving a trail of goosebumps. Kate closed her eyes to his touch and sighed as he cupped her breasts in his large hands, rolling her nipples between his fingers. She lost herself in the sensation, leaning back into his chest, and moaned. Kate reached an arm behind her to run her fingers through his hair. Negan grabbed her arm. “No.” He said, kissing her neck. Negan guided her hands to replace his as he moved lower to fondle at her sex until Kate shuddered her pleasure building.

“Hands on your knees,” Negan commanded, running a hand down her back and pushing her forward. Grabbing the scarf from the table, Negan looped it around Kate’s torso and elbows, drawing her arms behind her. “Stand up.” Kate complied and Negan tested his knots. “Are they too tight?”

Kate was momentarily thrown by the care in the question. She shifted her joints and found she was immobile, yet not uncomfortable. “No.” She said, softly.

“Good.” Negan drew her to him by the ties and steered her towards the desk, bending her over it, and slid her panties down. Widening her stance, he ran a hand over her backside.

Kate gulped. The smooth, hard surface was cool against her skin and her nerves were high as she waited while Negan enjoyed the sight of her prostrate form. Kate closed her eyes as he slowly entered her ready and waiting body. He paused for a moment, relishing in the feel of her. Finally, Negan spoke. “I am going to fuck you now, Kate. It is going to be fucking quick and fucking _hard._ I will get off but you might not. If you do, that is fucking great but if you don’t come by the time I do, I will not make sure you do. Got it?”

Kate nodded, suddenly very anxious and it heightened her arousal. Negan placed a firm hand on her neck and pulled on the scarf, bracing himself. And with that, he began to piston in and out of her.

Kate groaned as she felt the familiar tension quickly building, all the times this evening, this day, that she had felt rising desire, only to push it away came flooding back stronger in force. And yet at the same time, she feared not attaining that crest and being left painfully aroused and wanting release but finding none. Kate wanted to touch herself, to touch Negan but she couldn’t do anything.

Above her, Negan grunted pushing down on her with his weight. “Are you my fucking dirty whore, my dirty little girl? So wet and tight.”

Kate shuddered. “Oh god, Negan! Yes!” She felt like she was being used, a toy for him to play with.

Negan was so close, but he wanted, no, NEEDED, to bury himself deeper. He abruptly stood and pulled Kate against him off the desk holding her to him by the scarf and a hand around her throat.

Kate arched against him. “Fuck!” She rasped as Negan’s grip put pressure on her windpipe. It wasn’t enough to impact her breathing but it was enough to tip her over the edge. Kate wailed as her orgasm crashed over her.

“That’s it, come for me, baby. Who are you?”

“I’m Negan, I’m Negan, I’m NEGAN!” She cried, bouncing up and down on his cock.

Negan groaned and exploded into her, pressing Kate back down into the desk before collapsing on top of her. They were silent for some time, the only sound in the room their labored breathing. Negan propped his weight up on one hand as he released Kate’s arms and rubbed at them.

“Mmmmm….that feels nice.” Kate murmured into the table.

“Let it never be said that I didn’t know how to fucking take care of a woman.” Negan stood and Kate shifted onto her back. He offered her a hand and she took it, sitting up. Negan sat down on the floor and leaned his head against the desk.

Kate joined him on the floor and put her head on his shoulder. “You do what you do well, I will give you that.”

Negan looked down at her. Kate’s hair was sticking up in odd directions and he smiled. “Was that everything that you wanted?”

Kate blushed. “And then some.” She paused for a moment. “Were you really not going to let me come if I didn’t finish before you?”

Negan thought for a second. “No. I would have made you fucking beg for it though.”

Kate nodded. “And I would have.” She smoothed hair out of her face. “Christ, my heart is still racing.” She stood up and Negan watched her ass jiggle back and forth as she strode across the room. “Do you want some water?” She said, pulling a pitcher of clear liquid from the fridge.

“Yes. Though I have a better idea of how to calm down.” Negan got up and went for his jacket. “I forgot I brought you a present.”

Kate leaned back to look at him around an open cupboard door. “A present. Really?” She walked over to him, two cups in hand. “That is…interesting.”

“Don’t get all fucking weird on me, little girl. It’s just a little something.” Negan withdrew a bag from a pocket and there was a joint in it.

Kate handed him the glass and Negan handed her the bag. Kate cocked her head, amused. “You brought me weed? No fucking way!”

Negan grinned. “I thought you _might_ be interested.” He took a long drink of water.

Kate tapped a finger on her lip. “This is great.” She bounded over to the wall of records and picked one off the shelf. “I’ve always wanted to get high to this.” She said, handing the album to Negan.

“Pink Floyd’s The Wall? Holy shit, little girl.” Negan made an appreciative sound, handing it back to her. "Good fucking choice. Are you trying to make me relive high school tonight? First making out and now trippy seventies rock?"

Kate pressed play on the record player. As the opening notes started she sat on the edge of the bed, patting the space next to her, and pulled a lighter from the bedside table. Negan sat as she withdrew the joint from baggie and placed it and the lighter in his hand. "Honest answer? I think I want to create scenarios I wished I had been able to experience but couldn't because I was born in the wrong decade."

Negan inhaled deeply as he lit the joint. Letting out smoke slowly he handed it to Kate. "Damn girl, that shit is fucking deep."

Kate inhaled once and then again, feeling the vapor settle in her lungs before letting it drift out. It was strong. She passed it back. "With the exception of a few, I've never really gotten along with people my age and I feel like I'm supposed to be older. And now no one treats me like my age anyways. My peers are either running things with me or look up to me." She paused for a moment as he handed it back. "And people who used to treat me like a child now defer to my judgment just because I had a plan when they didn't."

Negan coughed on the exhale this time, before passing it back to KAte. "What the fuck does that mean?" He laid back on the bed and Kate laid down next to him.

Kate took another drag, starting to feel the effects of the first before responding. “Some people don’t like a woman having opinions until apparently, their fucking lives depend on it." She said, with more than a hint of cynicism.

"Like?" Said Negan, curious.

They smoked in silence for a minute or two, listening to the music before Kate decided to respond. "Mostly a few idiots whose asses I had to literally and figuratively kick." She paused and said more softly. "And as helpful as it was to have so many family members around when the world went to shit, it's not like all of them liked me or took me seriously as a kid, much less as an adult."

Negan took the joint from her proffered hand as she continued.  "And then everything ended. I was left holding the reigns because I was the weird fucker who would amuse herself by thinking of how to survive Doomsday and happened to have a plan specific to this place. At first, they followed because it easier and then we were safe and conflicts arose, well, that first year was a rough one..."

Kate knew she was rambling and she jumped when Negan laughed, abruptly interrupting her. "How in the fuck did you have a plan for here?"

Kate shifted onto one arm, head swimming, and gave him an annoyed look. "Of everything I said, THAT is the detail you latched onto?"

"What the fuck do you want from me, little girl? It’s been a long time since I was high off my ASS."

Negan laughed and Kate started giggling too. She lost her balance and fell into Negan side where she lay, laughing harder. She caught her breath, leaning into him and placing a hand on Negan's chest. "I went here for college and sat through one too many boring class. Let's just say I had an overactive imagination that leaned more toward the morbid."

Negan raised an eyebrow. "And you don't anymore?"

Kate watched the smoke drift away as she exhaled. "Reality is a little more macabre now than my imagine used to be. Though that doesn't exactly mean that I am without my share of dark thoughts." Kate ran her hand through his mat of chest hair, absentmindedly, enjoying the feeling.

"Like getting fucked in public and tied down over a desk?"

 Negan glanced at Kate and was rewarded with her smile. "Among other things..." She lapsed into silence, listening to the music.

Finishing the joint, Negan reached across Kate to flick it into one of the cups of water, abandoned on the night stand. "So you are in charge because you had a plan."

"Well color me fucking shocked," Kate laughed. "You were listening."

"I didn't get to where I fucking am not paying attention."

"And how did you get to where you are?" Kate said, suddenly crawling across Negan and off the bed to flip the record. "Did you have a plan?" She said, glancing over her shoulder.

Negan shrugged. "Not at first. Just found a group of people and went from there. Was mostly fucking tired of watching people die for no good goddamn reason."

Something told Kate that he wasn't being completely honest but she had a feeling there was more truth to what he said than Negan even realized. "I don't know about the Sanctuary,” She said, sliding back into the bed next to him and putting her head on his arm, "But now at least when people die they die for something greater."

“That would be fucking ideal, wouldn’t it?” Negan said, cynically.

She contemplated his words for a moment, hoping that she had caught him in a more honest frame of mind. "What did you do before all this?"

She felt him tense briefly before he spoke. "I could ask the same from you."

"I asked you first, Negan." She teased.

"I was a high school baseball coach." He said finally after a long pause.

Kate let out a harsh laugh. “Why does that not fucking surprise me."

"And a substitute history teacher."

Kate started giggling hysterically. "You...were...a...history...teacher!"

"Hey! I was a damn good one!" Negan said, seriously.

Kate suddenly felt bad for laughing. "Really?"

Negan serious face broke. "Fuck no!" And started laughing as well.

"You are such an ass," Kate said, joining him in laughter. "You should have been a better teacher."

"I know," Negan said with a tinge of sadness. "There were a lot of things I should have been better at."

Kate was suddenly wary, recognizing that Negan was letting his guard down, but not wanting to set him off. "Like what?" She asked, tentatively.

"Lots of shit." Negan said, rather noncommittedly. He smiled. "I've always been a bit of a bastard."

Kate laughed. "Of course."

"It works.” Negan shrugged. "So what did you do? Before?"

Kate laughed. "Guess?"

"You want me to fucking guess." Negan said, incredulous. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yes! Guess!" Kate said, resting her chin on his chest with a smile.

"I don't fucking know...a lawyer?"

Kate shook her head.

"A nurse?"

Kate raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Fine, a teacher?"

"Nope! But closer!" Kate laughed.

"Arg...Just fucking tell me, little girl!" Negan said, flipping over on top of her and pinning Kate to the bed.

She giggled. "Okay! Okay! I was a student!"

"A fucking student?"

"I was working on getting a Ph.D. in social psychology."

Negan started laughing in earnest, a rich deep sound that Kate liked, which became harder and louder as he lost his balance, falling next to Kate. "Are you shitting me? Because that is abso-fucking-lutely hilarious!"

"I'm fucking serious! I was studying how people work together under stressful conditions!" Kate was cackling too.

"Oh…my…God. I don’t fucking believe it.”

"You question my ability to manipulate and motivate people to do what I want them to do?"

Negan thought for a second. "No, I guess not. So...can you....?"

Kate interrupted. "No I can't read your mind, don't ask me that." Kate, however, was very good at reading people, a fact that she was not about to let Negan know.

"But...the...fuck, little girl, that is creepy." Negan sputtered.

"It's LITERALLY the first thing people ask when they find out you study psychology. Trust me, I can't read your mind."

"Thank God for that." Negan thought.

Kate wondered briefly if he meant to say that out loud before letting it slip away. “Hmm...I like this song." She said humming along.

"You're right. You are too old for your age."

"And you are too young." Kate yawned and snuggled into Negan. She felt him tense briefly before relaxing into it. "You weren't planning on staying the night when you showed up here," Kate said matter-of-factly.

"No, I wasn't. But I sure as shit can't leave now. Dark outside, high as a fucking kite."

Kate opened her eyes and looked up at Negan. “If you weren’t planning on staying, why did you bring weed?

Negan smiled sheepishly. “I was uh…expecting on all this to take less time…earlier in the day.”

“Oh, I GET it…you expected to roll up here, get your dick off with some ‘afternoon delight,’ have a smoke, and be on your way before dinner time.”

“Well…yeah.” Negan laughed.

Kate rolled her eyes. “Asshole. You should have known I wouldn’t let you get off that easily.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Now it was Negan’s turn to roll his eyes. “I think I got off preeetttyyy fucking well. And that was a fucking terrible joke.”

Kate gave Negan a devious smile. “Are you saying I should leave bad jokes to you…Daddy?”

“Hmm… I like the sound of that, little girl.” Negan said, pulling Kate on top of him.

“Hey!” She squealed.

“Call me ‘Daddy’ again.” Negan said, a burning look in his eyes.

“Hmmm...” Kate thought, “Well, Daddy….I…have to get up in the morning and it is time to get ready for bed.” She said, rolling off the bed and escaping his grasp to throw her discarded sweatshirt back on.

“You are fucking killing me, little girl.” Negan groaned.

“Negan, it’s late and I’m starting to get really fucking tired. So I’m going to go do my thing,” She said, opening the door to the conference room, “Then you are going to do yours and then we are going to go to bed.”

“Yes, HONEY.” Negan said with a patronizing tone and Kate flashed him a look in return.

* * *

 

Negan stared at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth with a brand new toothbrush he found waiting for him and wearing a pair of men’s sleep pants that were sitting on a small table in the bathroom. _That little girl is full of fucking surprises._ Somehow, and Negan wasn’t sure how, but Kate had known he was going to stay the night. The pants were his size and he knew that they weren’t from Kate’s substantial closet- he checked and found nothing like them.

“Good, they fit,” Kate said, looking at Negan over her glasses as he entered the room. She was already in bed and reading by the light on the bedside table.

“So, how did you get these?” Negan questioned.

“Well…I had someone take a trip to Wal-Mart earlier in the day because I wanted to be prepared.” Negan laughed and Kate rolled her eyes. “What do you think? I’ve expected this day would come eventually so I have had them set aside for a while.” She glanced up and down his form. “They look very…nice on you. Come to bed.” Kate said, patting next to her.

Negan obliged, crawling in next to her and propping himself up on his side. “This has been different. Playing husband all night.”

Kate moved to mirror him until they were face to face. “Well, generally if I am your wife that would make you my husband.”

Negan thought for a moment. “You know, none of the other wives have ever referred to me as their husband before.”

“We all got rings and are faithful to you. We don’t love each other but we all get something out of some relationship with you and you get something from us, which is enough.” Kate shrugged. “Sounds like a lot of marriages between husbands and wives.”

Negan’s face contorted in mock horror. “You don’t love me? I’m crushed.”

“If it’s any consolation, I enjoy fucking you. And I enjoy that fucking you gets me a discount on a tribute.” Kate smiled.

“You should have been in business, little girl.” Negan yawned. “It’s been a long time since I shared a bed with someone for the night.”

“Really?”

“Either I visit my wives and leave or I don’t let them spend the night when they visit me.” Negan said, dismissively.

“How positively romantic.” Kate said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “I will play by your rules when I am at The Sanctuary, but here at Haven,” Kate grabbed Negan’s hand and rolled over, pulling him to spoon against her. “I sleep with my husband.” She said, turning off the light and taking off her glasses. “Just so you know, I snore.”

Negan chuckled. “Okay, little girl.”

Kate woke up hours later with a start, suddenly aware that she was alone in bed. The clock on the bedside table said it was almost 5:30 am. _He left without saying goodbye, the bastard._ Kate laughed to herself. _Or not…_ she thought as she heard whistling coming from the bathroom. Kate climbed out of bed and located her missing pants before heading to the bathroom.

“You’re up.” Negan said, hearing her enter. He was in her shower. “Want to join me?” Negan peeked around the shower curtain with a mischievous grin.

“Not this time.” Kate shook her head with a smile, leaning against the sink. “I thought you snuck out on me.”

Negan shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. “Not without saying goodbye. I’m not a goddamn savage. And I wanted to talk about the first pickup.”

Kate handed him a towel. “What about it?”

“I expect you to come back to The Sanctuary with Simon and stay for a few nights.”

Kate gnawed on her cheek. “How many nights do you consider a few?”

“Simon is coming on Friday and he will bring you back on Monday.” Negan said, running the towel through his hair.

“Negan, I can’t be gone for four days and three nights,” Kate said through clenched teeth. “I have a place to run.”

“And you have a fuckton of people who can run it for you while you are gone. I left Simon in charge to come here and you don’t see me freaking all the fuck out.”

Kate frowned. “My people don’t know about this part of our arrangement. One night.”

Negan laughed. “That isn’t my fucking fault, little girl. You made that choice. Three nights.”

“Like I could have told them that I was fucking a random guy to prevent him from destroying out home and taking all our stuff. Get your head out of your ass, Negan.” Kate growled, crossing her arms. “One night.”

“I fucking resent that, little girl!” Negan growled back. “I’m not in the practice of burning shit to the ground.”

Kate suddenly found herself lifted up on the counter and trapped by Negan’s still naked form as he kissed her angrily. “Hey!” she said, pushing him away. “I’m fucking serious!”

“So am I. Destruction is rarely fucking profitable.” Negan relaxed. “I’m sure you will come up with a fine excuse for your absence. Three nights.” He said, holding up three fingers.

Kate bit her lip. “Two.”

Negan considered this. “Two nights, three days.” He said, pulling on his clothes from the day before.

“Thank you.” Kate hopped down from the sink. “Are you staying for breakfast?” she said following him out of the bathroom and back into her rooms.

Negan kicked his boots on and grabbed his jacket and scarf. Buckling his knife belt around his waist and hoisting Lucille over his shoulder he shook his head. “I got to get back. I got meetings and shit today with outpost people.”

Kate nodded. “I will radio to the gate that you are leaving. I trust you can show yourself out.”

Negan grinned and kissed her once more, gentler this time. “Two weeks, little girl. And I expect a big haul.” He opened the door.

“I’m sure you will be more than satisfied.” Kate grinned, shutting it behind him.

She sighed and wandered over to her desk, picking up a radio and talking to the sentries on duty. Putting it down, she picked up another, sleeker radio that she had used only once to test. Pressing the talk button on the side she tentatively spoke into it. “Cole, are you awake?”

“I am now.” Cole sounded tired. “What’s up, Kate? Something happen?”

“No, I just wanted to let you know I had an unexpected visit from Negan yesterday and he just left.”

“Negan just showed up?” The surprise was evident in Cole’s voice. “What did he want?”

Kate could feel herself heat up as yesterday flashed in her mind. “He said he was in the area doing business at the outpost and decided to show up and see me. I was just wondering if the next time Negan shows up at your place you could give me a heads up. I don’t want to be caught off guard again.”

“Uhh…sure.” Cole’s voice sounded very unsure. “But, Kate? Negan wasn’t here yesterday.”

“Oh. Maybe I misheard him. Maybe he meant he was headed your way today.” Kate was puzzled.

“If he does, thanks for letting us know. Wade hates it when he just shows up unannounced.”

Kate laughed. “Tell me about it. Thanks! See you in two weeks?”

Now it was Cole’s turn to laugh. “With bells on.”

Kate turned off the radio and placed it back on the desk, trying to recall what Negan had said the other day. She was almost positive he had said that he had shown up because he was already in the area.  Kate tapped a finger against her lip.

“Huh.”

 

* * *

I wanted to write this as a note at the end, but I don't think you can put links in the notes section. 

We all put a little bit of ourselves into our writing, I think. And my personal contribution to my main character is my love of classic rock and vinyl. I think it adds something to the narrative, a way for two people a generation apart to connect on some level. And, if no one has noticed (kudos if you have!) I like to title my chapters (and my fic) after classic/oldies music. It’s not revolutionary or even an original thought to have but I do listen to a lot of them while I write and the chapter/song titles generally express some thought or emotion I feel resonates with the story, if not totally accurate. So I’ve included a list of the songs I’ve used so far and, if people are interested, I can keep linking them going forward.

"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" [Journey](https://youtu.be/6IQV7nCDNH0)  
“I Met Him on a Sunday” [The Shirelles](https://youtu.be/SWHcROtzeks)   
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” [Blue Oyster Cult](https://youtu.be/PVn6b9QQZeM)  
“Head Games” [Foreigner](https://youtu.be/q6N66I9mcG0)  
“Barracuda” [Heart](https://youtu.be/xKqWSHYFnrw)  
“Play the Game” [Queen](https://youtu.be/Lr2iDWQSwsI)  
“The Width of a Circle” [David Bowie](https://youtu.be/kJeqNVSNMis) (It's long so [here](https://play.google.com/music/preview/T6npt4jalm3x5pwdmw5rhj5vzci?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics) is a link to lyrics)  
“You’re Lost Little Girl” [The Doors](https://youtu.be/TXZZxCW31XA)  
“Turn the Page” [Bob Seger](https://youtu.be/GONmFCkCGCc)  
“Owner of a Lonely Heart” [Yes](https://youtu.be/T-wpSz2PwNY)  
“Heartbreaker” [Pat Benatar](https://youtu.be/fPvGZHNVPEc)

 

  


 


	12. Taking Care of Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one month? You lucky, lucky ducks! And I managed to make it less than 5k words this time guys!

Taking Care of Business- [Bachman-Turner Overdrive](https://youtu.be/LzTyTNq0UbM)

* * *

Kate, in all of her brief and limited wisdom on the subject, would have probably said with confidence that Negan had compartmentalized his feelings to such an extreme degree that he was no longer particularly in touch with them. Of course, she herself was hardly any better. Negan and Kate were both like boxers who have filled their proverbial punching bags with far too much sand. Negan's was stretched with the plethora of emotions that he either could not or would not deal with while Kate's was stressed with the thoughts and feelings she had to cast aside in the face of leadership. The more these two sparred with each other, the more their bags began to leak. Sooner or later those bags were going to break and when they did, it was in very much unexpected ways. But, like most things in life, that was a long time in coming.

Truth be told, part of Negan had entertained the idea of spending more time with Kate at Haven. But that part had been overridden by the one that maintained control over his temper, which was thin due to lack of sleep. Negan had slept poorly, plagued by dreams of his past transgressions and losses that he had no memory of upon waking. All Negan knew was that he was tired and irritable, a phenomenon he incorrectly inferred was caused by being unaccustomed to sharing a bed with someone else. And fighting with Kate had worsened it. Despite parting on good terms, Negan was annoyed by Kate's challenge and had changed his plans because he suddenly felt the overwhelming need to be left the hell alone. _God, now I remember why I don't just hang around with my wives. Jesus fucking Christ_...The more Negan about it, the more he wondered why he had been so fired up to get to Kate in the first place.

* * *

  **Two Days Prior**

"Boss, I was wondering if you had given any thought to who you want to replace Wade at the outpost."

Negan was going over paperwork in his office when Simon was let in. He looked at the man over the top of his black rimmed reading glasses. "Some. Why?"

"I have a suggestion."

Negan took off his glasses and tossed them on the desk. Steepling his fingers he looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Simon nervously smoothed his mustache and nodded. "Cole."

Negan snorted. "The tracker? He is a familiar fucking face for Haven, but for everything? Not likely."

Simon sighed. "You asked me to provide you with some decent options. No one with seniority can be transferred. Paula and Bud are handling the grow operation and have started expanding territory looking for communities. Gavin is busy doing weekly pickups with that Kingdom place. Garth is dealing with those people at that RV park and I’ve got all my stuff here." Simon started counting off on his fingers. "Cole is the one who led the search party and killed the fuckers who murdered your men. Cole is the one who found Haven and captured Kate's men. Cole is the one who oversaw the first pickup. Where the hell has Wade been? Holed up at the outpost safe on his ass."

Negan nodded for Simon to continue, which he obliged. "I radioed the outpost today to speak to Wade about the upcoming tribute pickup. Cole answered and said Wade had directed him to organize everything on their end. Cole mentioned in passing that Wade gave him control of the radio you gave Kate. So I asked a couple guys who spent time there about that outpost. It sounds like Cole has been basically running the place for a while but is so goddamn loyal to the Saviors he didn’t want to seem like an overambitious rat."

Negan pursed his lips. "Okay, so the kid is good at what he fucking does and loyal. That doesn't mean I give him an outpost."

Simon chewed on his cheek. "Do you legitimately want Haven to be treated as an ally?"

"Yes..." Negan said with a very warning tone.

"Wade wouldn't understand the word 'ally' if it punched him in the dick."

Negan laughed harshly in response.

"I’m serious, Negan. When I finally got Wade on the line he said he "wasn't worried about a bunch of pussy ass bitches with no balls that probably need to get fucked' when I told him to be respectful."

Negan's expression grew very very dark. "First, those girls have ten times the lady balls than Wade. Second, one of those girls that creepy ass idiot motherfucker is talking about is my goddamn fucking wife. How absolutely fucking stupid is he?"

"Exactly!” Simon threw his hands up. “I’m afraid Wade will say something stupid and piss them off royally. I don’t understand why you haven't killed him or given him the iron."

Negan spoke through clenched teeth. "Because killing someone just because I don't like their face sets a very bad precedent."

"That brings up my last reason why I think you should promote Cole. Even if he keeps his goddamn mouth shut, that doesn't change the fact that all those girls are still going to find Wade some creepy as fuck old dude. Cole is polite, their age, they seem to actually like him, and despite all that, he isn't afraid of getting shit done and killing if he needs to."

Negan leaned forward, supporting his weight on his elbows. "I appreciate what you are telling me, Simon. I think I want to see how this collection goes before I make my decision.” Negan gave Simon a little wave of his interlocking fingers, dismissing his second in command.

  _Kate..._ Negan had thought about his newest wife more than a few times in the last couple weeks. Mostly whenever Negan decided to entertain himself by shooting off a couple rounds on some of the amazing guns he took from the first collection or when going over the growing amount of paper he had related to Haven. However, every once in a while, thoughts of Kate had intruded into his sexy times with the other wives. _I AM looking forward to seeing that ass again._ Negan chuckled to himself. Kate presented a very large unknown to Negan. Yet, it was an unknown part of him was excited to navigate. His arrangements with the other women were really straight forward. Tanya was a serial gold digger, Frankie was a social climber, and Josie just wanted the safety being a wife afforded her. Food, shelter, status, comfort, and safety in exchange for some fucking.

Kate was different. Her motives were a little less personally enriching. She wanted safety, yes, and she wanted protection but for her people, not herself. It was Kate's desire to do what needed to be done that Negan begrudgingly admired and because of it, he mentally placed Kate on a slightly higher level of respect than the other wives. _Well, at least Tanya and Frankie._  Josie was here because she was tired and almost broken when she came to him. To Josie, Negan was quite literally her Savior. _With Kate, I get pussy AND cool shit!_ Negan thought, glancing fondly at the Dirty Harry pistol sitting on the desk next to him. _And she likes to fuck._ Tanya, Frankie, and Josie all enjoyed themselves with Negan, he made sure of it. But he wasn't naive enough to think they were fighting each other to spend their nights with him, even though they put on a _hell_ of a good show like they did when he came to them.

Negan brushed these thoughts aside to concentrate on his work but they came back to him later that night as he finished fucking Frankie and sent her back to her room with a little smack on the ass and a smile that faded the minute he shut the door. She was gorgeous but she lacked...initiative or enthusiasm in the bedroom and seemed pretty content to just lay there _. Jesus Christ, she just is a fucking...starfish._ Negan found her boring.

Negan collapsed back onto his bed among the pillows and pulled a cigar from a box next to the bed. Lighting it, he luxuriated in the flavor, trailing smoke rings towards the canopy above him. Boredom. It was a word that Negan increasingly felt described his life.

The first year, the beginning of the end, things were difficult and often terrifying. Watching people die, come back, and eat loved ones. Dealing with the lawless scum who slaughtered whole groups for scraps and raped because there was no one to stop them. It was too much and so, Negan decided to become the law.

Even the most impressive of civilizations- and Negan fully believed he was creating a new civilization for humanity- start small and we rarely hear about their beginnings. The beginning of the Saviors was simple. First a group, then another, then some biker gangs brought to heel under Negan's authority. Then they found The Sanctuary. They had lived here for almost two years at this point, rapidly expanding into outposts and, more recently reaching out to communities. Those that wanted to join, came to the Sanctuary and worked for points. Those that didn't, paid for their safety. Too many times idiots who didn’t get the new law of the world stupidly fought back or caused trouble. Negan often wondered how many people he would have to kill or have killed to save everyone else. Thankfully a few cracks to a head or bullet here or there put everyone else in line. It was a grim business but exciting.

For a better part of a year though things had been peaceful. Tributes came in on time for the few places who gave them. There wasn't too much conflict at The Sanctuary and if there was any it was dealt with quickly. The outposts operated well without his direct supervision. Negan's days were spent doing boring administrative tasks and he found his time outside of the walls shrinking and shrinking.

Negan's boredom in the day to day necessities of running...well a very large business was part of the reason he was so tickled by the discovery of Haven and his negotiations with Kate. And having an ally to call on when needed who was sexy was just a bonus. It was something new and almost fun. And part of Negan was excited to see her again. Kate was not boring in bed.

Negan finished his cigar and fell into deep and dreaming sleep, starting awake with a raging hard on. _Something involving Kate...and Josie..._ He inwardly cursed himself for not being able to hold on to the details. _It would have been excellent spank bank materials_.

The clock on the nightstand said it was after 5:30 in the morning. Too early to get up, too late to fall asleep _Fuck it! This ain't going anywhere. Might as well start the damn day._ Negan rolled out of bed with a grown and into a hot shower, standing under the warm spray as he stroked his erection. He came quickly, hips bucking as he ejaculated all over the shower. _SHIT!_ Negan put a hand up against the shower wall to keep himself from falling over.

Negan often enjoyed an early morning jack off session to clear his head and start his day. But this was something else. He didn’t feel particularly satisfied nor clear headed. In fact, he felt a tension that grew stronger and stronger as he finished up his morning routine, had breakfast brought to him, and started tackling his work. It was useless though. Negan half-heartedly looked over the same column of the duty roster five separate times without comprehending what he was reading. Giving it up for a lost cause, he threw it back on the stack of papers and decided to take a walk outside. Grabbing his jacket and scarf, he put them on and threw Lucille over his shoulder.

Only a few hours had passed since Negan had woken up and the day was already promising to be a beautiful and crisp one. A few people wandered around the courtyard mostly those whose jobs involved preparing food or organizing jobs for the day and they took to a knee as he walked by, an action that never ceased to please Negan. He found himself wandering towards the practice yard. I was more of a pit really, divided in half by a fence. One-half was a clear practice space and the other was filled with the dead. It was early and several ambitious soldiers were already honing their skills against the dead captured for such purposes. Negan stopped for a moment, watching as Arat and Laura took on a group of walkers, giving pointers to another woman who tackled a dead one, slamming a knife into its skull.

Negan clapped from above at the performance. "That was a fucking good show!" His voice boomed around the pit as he jumped down into it and everyone instinctually took a knee. "Arat, Laura. Keep up work like that and you might find promotions in your futures." They beamed up at him and Negan gestured for them to stand with a smile. He extended a hand to the other woman, which she accepted. Negan studied her face which was familiar to him. "And who are you? Cause you sure as _shit_ aren't one of my soldiers."

“Sherry. I work in the laundry." She said glancing at him.

Recognition rolled across Negan's face. "Dwight's wife and...Tina's sister."

Sherry looked down with a blush. "Yes."

Negan raised an eyebrow. "Has she thought about my suggestion?" The girl was struggling to get enough points to afford some sort of medication, Negan couldn’t remember what off the top of his head, and he had reminded her she had other options available to her- taking on a different job or becoming a wife. Negan didn’t think much about it and he had made the offer weeks ago but it came to mind now speaking to Sherry.

“I don’t know, Sir. I think she has…” Sherry trailed off.

Negan chuckled. “Let her know it still stands. A pretty girl like her shouldn’t have to work to get what she wants.” He surveyed Sherry’s gore covered face and flicked a bit off her cheek. Sherry twitched. “Speaking of pretty girls doing dirty jobs, what kind of laundry girl likes to slaughter a few dead ones before her shift starts?”

Sherry looked him straight in the eyes. It was a bold move that most men wouldn’t do, much less women. “One who doesn’t want to be,” she said coolly, giving him an ambitious smile.

“Ohohoho! Somebody wants to be a _Savior._ ” Negan leaned back and crooked a finger at her. “Well, step into my office, darling.”

Sherry paled but took a step closer to Negan. “Yes, I do.”

“And is your old man aware of your… aspirations?” Negan flashed a grin at her.

“Old man?” Sherry snorted and then had the good sense to look embarrassed about it. “No, Dwight doesn’t know and it wouldn’t matter if he did. He…forgets things.”

Negan raised an eyebrow. “Should I be concerned about him being able to do his job properly?”

Sherry shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no. He really likes it and is very good. I just… want to be able to take care of myself if I need to.”

“Uh…huh.” Negan said, skeptically. “And this has nothing to do with your sister.”

Sherry swallowed. “Would it make a difference if it was?”

“Honey, I don’t care who medication goes to as long as someone is paying for it.” Negan smiled. “Everybody out!” He yelled to the others. Negan pointed to Sherry. “You stay. Show me what you got and I will think about putting you on track to be a Savior.”

Sherry nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

“Make sure nothing kills me,” Negan yelled to the Savior controlling the gate pull from above. “Let out ten of the fuckers!”

“Ten?” Sherry squeaked. But she didn’t have time to object as the gate was flung open and the dead started stumbling out the opening.

Negan tightened his grip on Lucille, taking a swing at the one closest to him. Its skull caved in with a satisfying squelch. One after another they fell, all the while Negan kept an eye on Sherry, who was holding her own. The pair made short work of the dead and Negan felt a lot calmer than when he had left his rooms. _Smashing heads is a great way to relieve tension._ He chuckled to himself.

Sherry was breathing hard, hands on her knees, surrounded by the bodies of the four dead she had put down. “What…was…that?”

Negan flicked gore off Lucille. “Trial by fucking fire, honey.” He pulled himself out of the pit and turned to look down at Sherry. “Scavenging team tomorrow. Prove yourself there and you will get promoted.” Negan didn’t wait for her response or to see her reaction. Whistling, he wandered off towards the gardens and hosed off Lucille from a spigot. _My dirty girl is all wet and shiny! Goddamn, that thought makes me feel horny!_

Negan was struck by a lightning bolt of a thought. He made a beeline across the compound to the radio tower, throwing open the door and startling Dwight who clumsily slid into a kneeling position. “Dwight-boy! Do you know where the _FUCK_ Simon is?”

“Nnnno, sir?” Dwight scrambled for a radio. “I can call him for you.”

Negan grinned. “Do it. I’m going to the mountain outpost. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

* * *

  **The Present**

Negan wasn’t sure why he had gone to Haven first or why he hadn’t mentioned going there at all for Dwight to pass on. He had grabbed the first car available, a beat up pick-up truck, and was on his merry fucking way. _Well, I did have a pretty good fucking time. But GODDAMN Kate can be so fucking pushy. I better be getting a fucking good tribute in a couple weeks._ Negan trusted that Kate wouldn’t shortchange him but he secretly wondered if she was overselling Haven’s productive capabilities.

The roads were very clear around Haven and Negan zipped down them, not seeing a single walker. In no time at all, he was pounding at the gates to the outpost. “Knock, knock, knock, motherFUCKAHHS! Negan is in… the… fucking… HOUSE!”

The gate slid open to reveal Cole who then slipped to his knee. “Sir.”

“As you were, Cole. Where the fuck is Wade? Shouldn’t that motherfucker be the one greeting esteemed visitors?”

Cole chose his words wisely. “I believe he is currently occupied in his rooms at the moment.”

“Hopefully doing something useful that produces shit for me.” Negan grinned. He suspected that would not be the case.

Cole chose to not say anything, instead leading Negan down several halls. Negan had been here once before, shortly after he had decided that he wanted an outpost in this area, to check the suitability after Simon had found it. That was about nine months ago. The outpost was a former forest ranger camp of some kind, comprised of several small buildings. It had been in poor enough shape but now bustled with activity. “These are Wade’s rooms,” Cole said, stopping in front of a door, with a smile. Cole could never articulate why he didn’t bother to tell Wade that Negan was coming. But it was one of the better decisions he made in his lifetime.

Negan flashed a grin to Cole before kicking in the door. “WADE! WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU NOT AT THE GATE TO GREET ME?”

“Holy shit!” Wade screamed. He was sitting in a recliner, a grainy porno playing on a television in the corner and jerking off.

“Jesus Christ, Wade! It’s like seven in the morning! Put your fucking dick away!” Negan grimaced. Wade’s rooms were filthy and smelled horrendous. “What the everloving _FUCK_ is going on here?

Wade mumbled incoherently as he tucked himself back into his pants, his erection, comically, still visible. Behind Negan, Cole suppressed a laugh. “I uh…was…uh…”

“It looks like you are fucking jacking off instead of doing something useful. Turn this shit off.”  Negan said, gesturing to the television where a woman repetitively moaned a very fake sounding orgasm. “Meet me outside. I feel like I am going to get fucking chlamydia if I stand around here much longer.”

This time, Cole followed Negan in what appeared to be an empty office. “Sit.” Negan commanded Cole, who obliged. Negan surveyed the much younger man. “How long have you been covering for that asshole?”

Cole swallowed before answering cautiously. “I don’t know what…”

“Don’t give me any bullshit, Cole. How long have you been running shit here? I get the distinct fucking impression that if Wade was really the one calling the fucking shots here, this entire place would look and smell like a monkey’s ass crack the same fucking way those rooms did just now.” Negan shuddered.

Cole decided that honesty was the best policy at this point. “Seven months.”

“Hooooollllyyyyyy shhhiiiitttt…And it never fucking occurred to you to say something?”

“I didn’t think it was my place and I didn’t want to undermine the authority you gave Wade.” Cole shrugged. “I’ve had shitty managers before that I’ve had to cover for.”

“This isn’t fucking Wal-Mart, Cole.” Negan laughed. “The way I understand it, the only reason there is any productivity out of this place is because you are loyal to me and the men are loyal to you. And I fucking reward loyalty.” Negan grew serious. “I’m not about to hand that creepy fucker Haven and I’m still fucking pissed about all the men who were murdered by nomads on that rockslide job. You are in charge now.”

“What?” Cole sputtered. “I…really? What about Wade?”

“I’m going to deal with that stupid shithead right now.” Negan threw open the door and Cole hustled after him.

Wade was standing by an empty flag pole looking nervous as hell. “Wade!” Negan roared.

Everyone in the yard dropped to the ground, Wade included. “Sir?”

“Get what little shit in this place is yours and get your fucking ass into the car. Cole is in charge now.”

“What? But things are good here!” Wade tried to stand.

Negan forced Wade back down by the shoulder and put Lucille in his face. “In fucking SPITE of you, not fucking BECAUSE of you! Your goddamn fucking incompetence got people killed here and I don’t doubt for a fucking minute that you wouldn’t make Cole handle EVERYTHING at Haven, take credit for it, and fucking piss off people there.” Negan grabbed the terrified man and pulled him up by the shirt. Negan’s face burned with barely contained rage. “And I would think _very_ fucking carefully about the next time you want to call my _fucking WIFE_ a ‘pussy ass bitch’ because she would _slice_ your goddamn fucking joke of a _dick_ off, Wade if she ever heard you. And I sure as _shit_ will do worse. Got it?” Negan whispered, spittle landing on Wade’s face.

Wade nodded. “Good. Now get your shit.” Negan released the man and Wade dropped to the ground before running away. Negan spun in a circle, waving Lucille wide. “Sorry you had to fucking see that, folks. But I suspect there aren’t any objections to a change in management?” Negan laughed heartily and the on looking men cheered.

Negan clapped Cole on the back. “If there is anything you fucking need, you let me know.”

Cole smiled. “Bleach? It’s going to take a shit ton to clean Wade’s rooms out.”

“You’re a fucking funny kid, Cole.” Negan laughed. “Look, I’m sending Simon out for the first collection at Haven, just to see how you do.”

Cole nodded. “Any guidance and input would be great.”

Negan pointed a finger at Cole. “Keep up that attitude and you will go fucking far in this organization.”

To add insult to injury, Negan made Wade sit in the bed of the pick-up truck on the way back to The Sanctuary and did his best to hit every bump and pothole. It wasn’t quite noon when Negan rolled up inside the front gate.

Simon hurriedly ran up to the car, concern etched across his face. “Thank God you are back!”

Negan rolled his eyes. “I’m glad you fucking missed me, Simon but I’m sure you were fine…”

“We radioed the outpost but they said you had just left. Dwight and his family disappeared.” Simon interrupted Negan.

Surprised, Negan’s face hardened. “What the fuck happened?”

Simon swallowed, nervous. “He knocked out Dr. Carson and stole all the insulin.”

“That stupid, stupid, sonofabitch, dumbass motherFUCKER!” Negan roared, slamming Lucille into the left headlight of the truck. Simon and Wade, who still sat in the back of the truck, flinched. “And Sherry and Tina went with him too? Stupid bitches!”

“We searched the entire compound twice over. They aren’t here and we put out an alert to all the outposts in case they are stupid enough to try to show up at any of them.” Simon said. “I have a group ready to start searching outside the wall for them.”

Suddenly, Negan had an idea. “Oh, Wade?” He said in at a sing-song.

Wade cautiously climbed down from the back of the truck. “Y…y…yes?”

Negan smiled cruelly in a way that gave Simon goosebumps. “You want to get the fuck back into my good graces?”

Wade nodded.

“Then get the fuck out there, find that stupid fucker and his family, and drag them back here. Alive. I want to take a crack at them myself.” Negan said, giving Lucille a few practice swings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have obviously taken some liberties with the Sherry/Dwight/Tina plot contribution in this and other chapters. I feel like it was one of the least cohesive plot points in that last two seasons And I don't think that the Sherry/Dwight plotline from the "Here's Negan" comics makes sense or can be adapted well. So we got the established characters and we got my take on them. Let me know what you think and the direction I am taking them in! And has anyone seen the Season 8 Trailer?? "I hope you have your shitting pants on..." SO STOKED


	13. New Kid in Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! I am still alive and writing! I wish I could update more often but when your current life involves writing multiple lengthy papers (one of which is my master's thesis) sometimes that writing is only a paragraph or two a night. This was one of those chapters that was going to be much longer than I was happy with but thankfully I had a really good middle point that I could turn into an ending. Enjoy!

[New Kid In Town- Eagles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-sTlJZLsWk)

* * *

 

Kate watched the seemingly endless trees flash by outside the window as some truly god _awful_ country music screeched from the CD player in the middle of the console in the truck.

"Can you please play something else," Kate begged, rubbing at her temples. "This is giving me a massive headache."

"Nope." Simon gave her a cheeky grin and turning up the volume. "The driver gets to choose the music. And I like country music."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I don't object to country music. I object to THIS country music. Do you have anything else?"

"Like?"

"I don't know? Like literally anything from 1998 until the end of the world? Alan Jackson? Brooks and Dunn? Tim McGraw?"

"Who?" Simon stifled a smile at Kate's growl of frustration. "Everything I have is in the glove compartment."

Kate opened it up and removed a stack of well-worn CD cases. "You know they have these novel travel case things just for CDs so you can take MORE of them with you."

"Shithead." Simon liked Kate. She had a good sense of humor and a level head on her. And personally, Simon was a fan of anyone who could go toe to toe with Negan.

Kate flipped through the stack, "Ew... No... Nuh huh... God no..." before stopping on one she found acceptable and changing out the CD. Kenny Rogers started to play and Kate turned her attention out the window. "I wonder how the rest of the pickup is going."

Simon and Kate had left ahead of the other trucks because Simon had felt everything had been going smoothly and he didn’t want to waste time. He was actually impressed by the efficiency Kate and her people had shown and the cooperation they had provided. _Well, that may be because they actually want to pay tribute._ "I'm telling you, sweetheart, it's going fine. Seriously, that is the smoothest tribute I've seen in a while."

And it was. Cole had done Kate the courtesy of radioing her they were arriving. His introduction as the new leader of the outpost hadn't even raised eyebrows and he had been congratulated profusely by the men and women who had previously interacted with Cole.

Everything that Haven had produced in the last month had been set aside for examination and the impressive array of items, all neatly organized and itemized, had shocked Simon. Kate had raised an eyebrow at Simon's request to switch out some of the tribute in exchange for some of Haven's supply of insulin. They had negotiated for a bit and finally, two hand guns and four rifles with accompanying ammo as well as some other medical supplies were exchanged for 15 vials.

Kate snorted at Simon's use of "sweetheart." Then she frowned slightly. “What do you mean, calling this the smoothest tributes you have had in a while?" Kate asked, suspicious.

Simon wondered briefly if he had revealed too much and thought carefully before answering. "Just that not every group we meet wants to move to The Sanctuary and not every group that gives tributes is on board with the new world order."

Kate frowned. "Like?"

Simon gave her a patronizing sideways glance. "Honey, you and I both know we would be in a very different place right now if your people had been the ones who killed those outpost men."

"And yet you still wanted my stuff..." Kate picked absentmindedly at broken piece of the dashboard.

Simon cleared his throat. "Well, that was before your...um... arrangement"

Kate laughed at the older man's obvious discomfort. "Before I pimped myself out."

"Regardless of what you want to call it, you weren't an ally when you came to The Sanctuary and you left one. You got cojones doing what you did instead of just giving in or being stupid or trying to fight back. And Negan respects that."

Kate laughed, harshly

"In his own way."

"Yeah, well he sure had a fucking funny way of showing it when he came here a couple weeks ago."

Simon's ears perked up as Kate mumbled on.

"Acting like he owned the place and expecting me to drop everything just because he was 'in the neighborhood.' He literally thought he was going to get some ass and be on his way to the outpost, I guess I know now to replace Wade. Asshole"

This, Kate would have been surprised to learn, was complete news to Simon. As far and Simon knew, Negan had gone to the outpost, spent time observing Wade's glaring inadequacies, and come back the next day. _So he went to see Kate first and told her he had already been to the outpost. Huh._ Simon thought privately. Out loud he said, "Well, Negan usually gets what he wants." Simon raised an eyebrow. "Hopefully you made him work for it."

"What an odd thing to say." Kate smiled. "Of course I did." She returned the look. "Frankly I'm surprised you are talking this way behind Negan’s back."

"I've known Negan since the beginning. We've saved each other’s lives more than a few times. If I can't, who can?" Simon cleared his throat. "Besides, I know what he gets like if he feels too bored. This," Simon waved a finger and Kate, "This thing you have going on keeps him from getting too bored."

Kate looked at Simon for a moment. "You remind me of my dad, a little bit."

Unnerved, Simon blurted out. "I had a daughter a little like you once."

"I'm sorry," Kate said softly.

"I, uh, don't know if she is alive or not. Lived with her mother in Texas." Simon mumbled, embarrassed.

"Would you be okay if your daughter was involved with Negan?" Kate mused.

"Fuck no!" Simon laughed, grateful for the break in tension. "But I would hope my daughter wouldn't have to put herself in that position. Some of those wives are bitches." He glanced at Kate. "Present company excluded."

"Thanks a lot. You are so very kind, Simon." Kate said, sarcastically. “I can be a bitch when I need to."

"I’m sure. You're just about the closest thing to Negan's equal, I’ve ever met."

Kate cocked an eyebrow. "In terms of bitchiness, power, or sarcasm?"

"All three." Simon grinned. "There was one other person who came close. Paula. You will probably meet her."

"Not wife material?" Kate scoffed.

"Yes and no. She's too devoted to Negan to be one. So she runs an outpost."

"Impressive. Sounds like someone I might like. God knows I could use a friend or two over there."

Simon said nothing letting the conversation lull under the music.

Truth be told, Kate was conflicted about this visit to the sanctuary. She had fought to spend less time there and won but as today had approached she felt a growing sense of anxiety...and excitement. For days her dreams had been plagued by Negan that left her aching upon waking and put her in a strange mood. Kate was also anxious because she hadn’t left Haven for an extended period in a very long time and she was worried about whether or not people would believe the explanation of her absence. The council had toyed around with several options before deciding to tell people that Kate was basically going on a business trip. It was vague but sounded important enough.

"How is he, Simon?"

"Huh?" Simon asked, his own thoughts interrupted.

"Negan. Is he in a good mood? Bad? What kind of situation am I walking into?"

"He's...fine." Simon paused for just a moment too long.

"Simon..."

"He has been in a mood, okay? I've been looking forward to getting you to The Sanctuary because he clearly needs a diversion."

"And the other wives aren't diversion enough?" Kate asked, suspicious.

"It's a different thing. They are there all the time. You aren't."

"Uh huh..." Kate paused. "Does this case of insulin have anything to do with it?" She tapped the cooler with her foot.

Simon ground his teeth. "Possibly. That’s as much as you get from me. I don't need Negan riding my ass because I gave you too much information, sweetheart."

Kate nodded.

The rest of the trip passed in silence until they reached the massive gates and their dead defenders. Kate could feel her anxiety level rising as they clanged audibly shut behind her. "What now?" Kate asked, removing her wedding ring from an inconspicuous chain around her neck and slipping it on her finger.

Simon noticed the action but did not comment on it as they both exited the vehicle. "The infirmary. Negan wants you checked out." Simon looked visibly uncomfortable saying the words.

"Ah. I understand." _Pregnancy test._ Kate thought.

Simon looked relieved as they made their way inside. "One of the wives will take it from there."

Kate walked in silence casually observing the reactions of people as they passed. _Nothing._ Kate was nothing to these people, a singular girl, a new recruit perhaps. It was unnerving as much as it was comforting. But Kate knew that it would last only as long as she wore civilian clothes.

The doors to the infirmary swung open and several attendants jumped to their feet. "No emergency, people. Just dropping off some supplies.” Simon bellowed, handing off the cooler of insulin to a nurse in scrubs.

Dr. Carson scurried out of his office, a butterfly bandage over a cut on his head. Kate was taken aback. "Emmett, what happened?"

The doctor touched at his wound. "Oh. Nothing. An uncooperative patient lashed out and well...it was an accident." He said, glancing at Simon.

Kate could practically taste a larger conspiracy at work. "I'm glad you are okay."

"Negan wants a complete work up on her," Simon said. "And then a wife will be down shortly to get her."

Dr. Carson nodded an affirmative and then began to blush a deep red color.

_Clearly, he knows what that means,_ thought Kate.

Simon turned to Kate. "I'll see you later at some point. Keep out of trouble." He winked at her and she smiled in return.

Dr. Carson plucked a presumably clean beaker from a drying rack next to a sink and handed it to Kate. "Here," he mumbled, "I need a urine sample. The bathroom is through that door."

Kate obliged, reappearing several minutes later to find Frankie standing with Dr. Carson. "Here," Kate said, handing him the sample.

He took it silently, starting to blush again and dipped a waiting pregnancy test in it. Placing it on the counter he turned to Kate. "I need to give you a physical exam now," he said gesturing to a bed behind a privacy wall.

 Frankie gave her a condescending smile and Kate nodded, biting back a retort.  There was a gown on the table. _For fuck's sake..._ Annoyed, Kate disrobed and hopped up onto the table. "Ready." She said, flatly, and Dr. Carson poked his head around the curtain.

"I am really sorry about this." He mumbled quietly, putting a blood pressure cuff around her arm. "Negan had me do this for all the others over the last month and..."

Kate sighed, interrupting him. "I'm not your leader anymore, Emmett. You need to do your job and I need to do mine. So just...do what you have to."

The quiet doctor marked down her blood pressure, temperature, listened to her lungs and checked in her nose, ears, and throat.

"Are you going to tell me the truth about the head wound?" Kate whispered as Dr. Carson checked her lymph nodes.

He momentarily froze before responding. "Some guy attacked me two weeks ago. But I'm okay, really."

Kate nodded, storing the information to dwell on later.

"I...uh...need to ask you questions about your cycle and do a quick exam of your genital region."

Kate blushed this time. "Seriously? What the hell!?" Kate could hear Frankie snicker.

Dr. Carson nodded. “And then I will go see the results of the pregnancy test. “

A prickle of anxiety trailed down her spine. "Fine," Kate grunted. “It’s been three and a half weeks since my last cycle and I have nothing unusual happening in my lady bits. But go ahead, take a look for yourself!"

As annoyed as Kate was, Dr. Carson was quick and professional, soon leaving Kate to put her clothes on once more. She said there, waiting until Dr. Carson appeared around the curtain with that damned clipboard. “Your test was negative.”

Kate felt an unexpected sense of relief, even though she knew that it was very unlikely she would be. “Thank you, Dr. Carson.”

Frankie looked positively bored as she escorted Kate to her room, where a guard already stood. "Hello, Laura," Kate said wearily.

The blond woman smiled and started to speak before being interrupted by Frankie. "When you’re done making yourself presentable come to the lounge," she said abruptly, before flouncing off down the hallway.

Laura and Kate exchanged a look. "God, she is insufferable," Laura said, rolling her eyes.

Kate laughed. "I get the impression she doesn't want me around here." She took the key and chain from around her neck and slipped it into the door. "You and Arat going to be my babysitters for the weekend?"

"Yeah, Negan's orders. Sorry." Laura shrugged.

"Don't be. It's your job."

Pale sunlight filtered through the clear window, illuminating the room and decor. Which Kate noted was different than the last time she was here. The bedspread and curtain were a near matching shade of dark blue, the bedspread sporting a funky pattern. There were more pillows on the bed and the table and chairs had been exchanged for a new set in a 1950s diner style. But the biggest change was a long and low wood and metal cabinet with open shelves, a selection of vinyl, and a record player and speakers perched on the top.

Kate ran a finger down the stack, flipping through the music. It was mostly jazz, with some classic rock thrown in.

Kate felt an odd tightening in her chest at the gesture as she struggled to integrate the many seemingly conflicting actions of Negan into her image of him. Compulsory gynecological exams clashed against the giving of thoughtful and meaningful gifts. Unapologetic entitlement and arrogance warred with the uncertainty and care he sometimes showed. And as touched as she was, Kate was keenly now aware that, one, Negan had a backup key to her room and, two, this gift was yet another thing that likely set her apart from the other wives. And that had the potential to put a big target on her back.

Opening the wardrobe to stash her weapons, Kate was surprised to find several additions accompanying her original dresses. Kate picked one, admiring the ruched black panel on the front before noticing the strategically placed sheer lace cut outs. _Did the Saviors loot a stripper surplus store to find these?"_ Kate wondered. Sighing, she realized that this garment demanded a thong, which she found with a matching bra in a nearby drawer. D _amn, he is prepared._ Kate thought with a laugh. Slipping on the dress, she poked around in the jewelry box Negan gave her pulling out a beaded black choker and earrings to match. Kate looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She made a satisfied sound. _I look good._

Kate opened the door, finding Laura still standing guard. "Where is your radio room? I want to send a message that I arrived safely to Mountain Top to relay to my people."

Laura smiled and pointed out the window towards a brick building and tower. "It's there, across the compound."

"Oh." Kate looked down at the heels she had chosen.

Laura followed her gaze. "I can run the message over there."

"Thanks. That would be great." Kate smiled, sheepishly. "Tell Dwight hello from me."

Laura gave Kate an odd look but nodded and trotted off in one direction while Kate turned in the other, staring at the double doors down the hallway. She rubbed her hands together nervously, fighting anxiety. _Get it together, Kate. There is nothing scary here._

Kate placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed the door inward. Josie looked up apathetically from a book but her face lit up when she saw her. Kate noticed the expressions on the other two woman shift from excitement to disdain as they glanced away from their primping.

"Oh. It's just you." Tanya said, flatly.

"I forgot you were here," Frankie said, equally disinterested.

Kate looked at her watch. "You left me in my room less than 20 minutes ago, Frankie. How could you forget I was here?"

On the couch, Josie snorted and hid behind her book.

"Whatever." Frankie harrumphed and turned back to painting her nails.

The smell of the polish was acrid in Kate's nose. "Now what?" She said, sitting in an oversized chair next to the couch.

"You tell her, Josie. I'm too busy to deal with newbies." Tanya droned, squinting into a magnifying mirror and plucking at her eyebrows.

Josie rolled her eyes. "We stay here and keep busy- read, watch television, whatever. Lunch is at 2 pm and dinner is at 7 pm. Sometimes Negan comes and chooses us. Sometimes he has one of us sent to him. Sometimes more than one a day, depending on his mood." Josie shrugged. "The bar is in the corner. That room is mine, that one is Frankie's, that one Tanya." She said pointing. "That's about it."

Kate swallowed a lump in her throat. "Can we leave? Walk around The Sanctuary?"

Tanya interrupted Josie's reply. "Of course we can. But why would you want to? It's so dirty out there. And people are sooo jealous."

Josie shot Tanya a look. "We can but Negan doesn't like it when someone is missing. So it's best to be prepared if he shows up."

“So…Is Negan at The Sanctuary?”

No." Tanya gave Kate a withering look like she thought Kate was an idiot.

Kate gritted her teeth. "Any idea on where he is or when he will be back?"

"Obviously not." Frankie retorted. "If you are so bored already, maybe you should go back to your room." She gave an irritating giggle.

Kate's face hardened but she chose to ignore the dig, instead turning her attention to a stack of books on the floor next to Josie. "May I?"

"Have at it." Josie shrugged.

Kate settled on a mindless romance novel that she barely paid attention to. An hour passed and then another as Kate and Josie read and the other two somehow managed to keep playing with their appearance.

Bored, Kate poured herself a drink and nursed it slowly as she meticulously browsed through a bookshelf of DVDs to pass time. A knock on the door startled Kate but the others barely reacted as some nameless workers brought in trays of fresh fruits and cheese.  _I wonder where they get those..._ Kate thought. She had no appetite but ate because she couldn't bear the waste.

Kate found herself pouring another drink and staring off into space, thinking. It had been a very long time, years almost since Kate had been forced to stop, do nothing, and take time for herself. On one hand, it was nice that no one expected anything from her, expected her to do or be something. On the other hand, she wished she had brought paperwork so she could feel useful. Instead, she was waiting for some dude with a dick like a hooker in a brothel and becoming increasingly annoyed with her choice of footwear. She was cold and her feet hurt.

Sighing, Kate stood, walking to the door. "I’m going clothes shopping. Does ANYONE feel like coming with me?"

Frankie perked up for a second and for a brief moment Kate saw a glimmer of establishing a common ground with the woman but a disapproving look from Tanya shut her down.

Josie considered that for a moment. "Sure." She said, tossing her magazine next to her.

Kate was a little bit excited that Josie was willing to go with her. Kate found her sarcasm to be a breath of fresh air. "Hold on," Kate said, fishing her room key out of her cleavage. "I need to get rid of these fucking things." She chucked her heels in the room and slammed the door. "Much better. What?"

Josie was giving her a bemused look. "Nothing."

"Hmm." Kate laughed, turning red. "I forgot which floor the clothes were on."

Josie rolled her eyes. "Come on. I will show you."

The pair browsed through stacks of clothing in storage for some time, making chit chat. "So what do people do around here for entertainment when they aren't working. You know, if they aren't wives." Kate asked.

"Play cards I guess, mostly. Watch movies and play video games, read, board games. Probably what they did before depending on if they can afford stuff. Why? What do your people do?" Josie asked, curious.

“Much the same. We have festivals and community movies. Plays sometimes if people want to. We have a moral committee."

Josie laughed. "Seriously? Why?"

Kate blinked. "To give them something to live for. A hope at the best shot at normal they may ever have for themselves or their kids."

Josie nodded. "Let's hope they live long enough."

Kate glanced at a dress on a hanger. _Barely enough fabric here for a garment._  "I hope so. We do a lot of weapons training. No ill prepared people at Haven."

"We have training yards here, I think.  But I've never used them."

"Interesting." Kate turned her attention to a wall of shoes, her main objective for this excursion. "So, I got the impression that Negan doesn't leave The Sanctuary often."

"He doesn't, didn't. But then Dwight disappeared with his wife and sister in law two weeks ago." Josie scanned the shelves. "Caused some sort of hullabaloo, I don't know what. But Negan has this guy looking for him..." She tapped a finger on her chin, thinking. "Wayne...Wade...something. And sometimes Negan goes out. Comes back in a bad mood too. Actually, he has been sour most days lately."

Kate froze beginning to connect the dots in her head. "Oh..." She said flatly. "Maybe that's why Simon told me he hoped I could put him in a better mood.” Kate grabbed a pair of knee high boots off a shelf in her size and sat in a nearby chair to try them on.

Josie grimaced. “Ew...To be fair though, that is pretty funny that Simon would say that.”

Kate zipped up one shoe and admired it on her leg. _Perfect_. “I think that Simon has a soft spot for me. Really paternal.” Kate shrugged. “Even before, I always seemed to remind middle aged men of their daughters or granddaughters.”

Josie grinned. “Except Negan.”

Kate smiled back. “Except Negan.” She stood, straightening her dress. “What do you think?”

“Mmmmm girl….” Josie nodded appreciatively.

“I’ll take that as a good sign.” Kate approached a very bored looking woman sitting behind a table.   
“Name?” She sighed, not looking up.

“Kate.”

“Number?”

“What…”

Josie interrupted. “That would be an ‘NW’ for the number…I’m sorry, what was your name?”

The woman looked up, suddenly aware of her audience. “Oh! I’m sorry. I’m nobody. Sorry…”

Josie raised an eyebrow. “Uh…huh...Next time, maybe pay attention to who comes in and out of here.”

Kate gave Josie a surprised and yet sad look as they left. “For some reason, I didn’t expect you to be the type to go full bitch mode on a random woman.”

“Oh, that?” Josie snorted. “You got a lot to learn about this place. We could have literally walked out of there without settling up because she was paying zero attention to what we were doing. I may have saved her a furnace in her future.”

“I don’t follow… a furnace?” Kate looked confused.

“One of Negan's little punishments. Branding someone a thief, burns, an iron to the face if someone does something especially wrong.”

Kate balked. “That’s horrific.”

“It’s effective. What do you do for stealing?”

Kate realized she was caught in a hypocrisy. “Fingers and hands cut off, depending.”

“See…you aren’t so much different than Negan.”

Kate didn’t know how to answer, instead losing herself in thought as they made their way up to the wives floor. “I can’t stand spending time with those two idiots. Do you want to go to my room? I have a window that overlooks the front gate so I can see when Negan arrives.”

“Sure,” Josie said, following Kate into her room. “Woah. This place got decked out.”

“Yeah,” Kate ran a hand through her hair sheepishly. “I found it like this today.” She sighed. “I guess Negan had someone redecorate? I don’t know.” Kate opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water, found several bottles of white wine as well, and she felt that odd feeling again inside her chest. “I got water and white wine apparently.”

“Water for now.”

Kate handed her a bottle and went to put a record on. “Shit!”

Josie coughed mid sip. “What?”

“I think Negan just pulled in.” Kate looked down into the yard as a truck pulled in and the on looking people erupted in activity. The passenger side of the truck opened and a distinctive figure emerged. “Yeah, it’s him. Shit. We should go.”

Josie took another sip of water. “Calm your ass. We got time. Trust me.”

Kate stared at Negan, waving around Lucille. He glanced up almost as if he could feel her gaze. “He literally always wears that exact…same…get up doesn’t he?”

“Mmmhmmm… As far as I have ever seen. Even when it is summer and hot out. I would kill to see him in a suit or flannel or something. Hilarious.” Josie laughed.

Kate thought a moment, still staring out the window. “I got him into flannel pajama pants a couple weeks ago. When he showed up at Haven and spent the night.”

Josie paused with the bottle halfway to her mouth. _So THAT is where he disappeared to, that one night._ “That’s funny. But I wouldn’t go around talking about that. Frankie and Tanya can get territorial.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m many things, but stupid is not one of them.” She took a seat across from Josie. “As much as I appreciate all of this, I don’t think it wins me any friends.”

“Are you kidding me? A private hang out with a view, booze, entertainment, and completely lacking in shallow bitches? Count me your friend.” Josie raised her bottle in a mock toast.

Kate gave a genuine laugh. “I didn’t know your friendship could be bought so cheaply.”

Josie laughed in return. “Come on, we should go.”

Kate followed her back to the lounge. “Negan’s coming,” Josie informed Tanya and Frankie, who immediately snapped to attention, pushing up their breasts and choosing various pieces of furniture to pose on. Uncomfortable, Kate opted to sit on a bar stool.

A few minutes ticked by and finally, Kate could hear footsteps clanging in the stairwell and down the hallway. “Showtime…” Josie whispered and Kate let out a breathy laugh.

Still, Kate was startled when the doors were thrown open and with a “Hellloooo ladies!!” Negan entered the room. He stopped and did a double take as he noticed Kate. “Hello ladies INDEED!” He greeted each wife giving them a lingering kiss in turn. Saving Kate for last, she could feel the eyes of the others on them as she lost herself momentarily in Negan’s grip. It was both too long and too short as he broke away.

“Ladies, I have had a hard _fucking_ day, harder than I’ve had in a while. And all your lovely as _fuck_ faces are just a goddamn breath of fresh air.” Negan crooked a gloved finger at Frankie. “Come here, baby.”

Frankie giggled, Tanya smirked at Kate, Josie gave her a confused look, and Kate clenched her teeth. Clearly, all four of them assumed Negan would be choosing Kate. Tanya gave Kate another smirk and shut herself in her bedroom.

Kate was hurt and she didn’t understand why she felt hurt. It must have read on her face because Josie put a comforting hand on Kate’s shoulder and squeezed. “Maybe he just really needed a massage or something.”

Kate pointed to Frankie’s door. “That doesn’t sound like a massage. More like a very cheesy porn.”

“Maybe it’s a happy ending type massage?” Josie joked.

Kate laughed a little too bitterly for her own liking. “I really don’t care regardless.” She changed the topic. “So, if they’re doing whatever, how do we get dinner?”

“You can have something brought to your room. Or you can go down to the cafeteria. But I wouldn’t do that unless you feel like getting stared at the whole time.”

Kate thought for a moment. “I think I need that diversion.”

“Well, I’m considering this evening a wash. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Kate sat in the lounge alone for several long minutes listening to the sounds of fucking coming from behind Frankie’s door. Finally, Kate decided to leave. She almost went downstairs in her current attire before realizing that mingling with the general population in this excuse for a piece of clothing was not going to make Negan happy. Kate went to her room, nodding at Arat who had replaced Laura on guard at some point. Rummaging around in the dresser drawers, Kate found an obviously expensive athletic outfit that soccer moms of the old days seemed to have a love of. Kate threw it on and went downstairs.

Josie had not been kidding about the stares. Despite her change in wardrobe, Kate was obviously better dressed than everyone else. She smiled through the looks people gave her and did her best to warmly greet people in food prep. Amused, Arat followed along, sat, and ate with Kate. They chatted and Kate learned about Laura and Arat’s desire to become more than just guards for the wives, to get out in the field, and become part of the team. Kate also discovered that they trained early mornings in the yard and scored an invite to join when Kate expressed an interest.

When Kate was done eating, the pair made their way back to the rooms. “I want to get something from the lounge first,” Kate said, motioning for Arat to stay. She wanted to get some books to read for her room. And the romance novel she had started earlier in the day was entertaining enough. It was much quieter in the lounge now and Kate sat down to read some of the back covers of the books when Frankie’s door open and a disheveled looking Negan exited.

He stopped, obviously not expecting Kate to be there. They stared at each other for a moment before Kate stammered, “I’m getting a book.” _You sound like an idiot._

Negan raised an eyebrow. “Ah.” He opened the door.

Suddenly nervous, Kate blurted out. “Thank you!”

Negan paused. 

“I mean, for the record player. And…the other stuff. I like them. Thank you.”

She could see Negan thinking in the roll of the muscles in his back. He didn’t look back at her as he spoke. “I’m glad. You’re welcome.” And he left.

Embarrassed, Kate put her face in her palms.

And hearing the exchange, all alone in her room, Josie smiled to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, it isn't going to be another three months before I update next. Thanks for reading!


	14. Stand Back

[Stand Back-Stevie Nicks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khCCbOR8Fe8)

* * *

 

“ARRGGHHH!” Kate screamed, slamming a knife into the temple of a nearby walker before whipping out her gun and emptying it into the skulls of the approaching group. She heard a groan behind her and in one motion dropped the gun, slid one of the hidden knives from the sheath on her back, and the walker crumbled, a knife protruding from its forehead. Pulling it out with a grunt, Kate wiped it off on her pants and resheathed it, squinting into the rising sun and brushing back her sweaty bangs.  

Laura and Arat jumped into the pit, giving Kate appreciative looks. Arat poked one of the bodies with her toe. “Damn girl…That was unexpected.”

“I told she wasn’t your typical wife,” Laura smirked and out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw them exchange something.

Kate raised an eyebrow. “How exactly do bets work when you have no physical currency?”

Laura held up a piece of paper with a name, number, credit amount, and signature on it. “Call it a check. Which I am going to go deposit because you have the morning shift this time. Peace bitches!” and with that, Laura took off running.

Kate gave Arat a look and laughed. “You guys aren’t bad fighters yourselves.”

Arat shrugged “We have to be if we want to get anywhere. Upper management here tends to be a real sausage fest.”

“I think you would like Haven. Lots of strong men and women together running things.”

“I got my eye on an outpost someday. Besides, people aren’t exactly encouraged to leave The Sanctuary.”

Kate frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just the way it is. People in better positions earn more credits so they don’t have much of a reason to leave and the ones who might want to tend to have a lot of debt.” Arat took a cigarette out of her pocket and lit it. “But hey, safety is safety and that is really all that matters in this life now.”

“I suppose.” Kate was more than a little disturbed that there were people living at The Sanctuary as little more than indentured servants. “I want to go back to my room now, get cleaned up.”

Kate’s night had not been a restful one. She had tossed and turned and had been plagued by bizarre dreams. And yet she had awoken with a lot of pent-up energy and had decided to take Arat up on her offer of an early morning training session in the practice yards. She felt a lot better but was eager to get out of her now gore covered clothes.

Opening the door to her room, Kate screamed in surprise. “Jesus Christ!” She barely stopped herself from reflexively lashing out with a weapon. “What are you doing here?”

Negan languidly lounged in a chair, resting Lucille on her tabletop. “Looking for you, little girl. What else would I be fucking doing here?”

“I assumed you would be out and about. Rumor has it you are in the business of tracking down runaway Sanctuary citizens these days.”

There was something dark about Negan’s expression. “Let’s just say it’s a little more fucking complicated of a situation.”

Kate put her hands on her hips. “Dwight stole insulin and ran away with his family. You want your meds back. Seems pretty uncomplicated.”

“Who told you that?” Negan pursed his lips, displeasure etched in his face.

Kate got a dish towel out of a kitchenette drawer and sat down across from Negan, cleaning her weapons. “Nobody told me outright. I just connected the various bits and pieces. Dr. Carson’s head wound from that lovely little check-up,” Negan’s expression revealed nothing, “Mumblings about Dwight leaving, and who do you think just replaced your stock of insulin?” Kate checked the chamber of her gun with a ching.

Negan smiled suddenly. “Okay, so it’s not THAT fucking complicated. It’s just a royal pain in my ass and not one I want to deal with today.” Kate stood up and took off her shirt. “Woah, little girl... As much as that is tempting,” Negan looked her up and down. “I do NOT have time for a fuck.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m going to the bathroom to wash my face, asshole.” She tried to walk past him but Negan grabbed her around her waist. “Hey!”

“Mmmm…I like it when you call me names.” Negan ran his stubble across her stomach and Kate shivered.

Feeling bold, Kate straddled his lap. She kissed under one ear, whispering “Bastard” and then the other, “Cocksucker” before moving to his lips. “Sociopath.” She smiled and Negan growled, pressing her closer to him. “I thought you didn’t have time for this.”

“I don’t.”

Pulling back, Kate placed a palm on his chest. “Why were you looking for me?”

“All of the outpost lieutenants are coming to The Sanctuary for a meeting and dinner party of sorts that we have every few months. I want you to be there tonight to meet everyone.”

“Oh! Yes, I can do that. What do you want me to wear?”

Negan nodded at the wardrobe. “That.”

Kate turned and noticed a dress on a hanger. She scrambled off Negan’s lap to take a closer look at it. The dress was a shimmery black halter with a very long slit up the side. “It’s very pretty.”

Negan came up behind her. “I thought it suited you, little girl. I’ll see you later.”

“With bells on,” Kate said, running the fabric between her fingers. “Negan?”

He was halfway out the door. “Yes?”

“I can have my people be on the lookout for Dwight, in case he decides to wander our way.”

“Now that is a fucking good idea. I’ll have someone radio Haven.”

* * *

 

“Ouch!” Kate winced. “What the fuck are you doing back there?”

“Sorry! I’m just trying to get this to stay in place.” Josie said, through the hairpins in her mouth. “I’m not usually the one who does this. Tanya is, but…well, you know.”

The minute Josie heard about Negan’s plans for Kate, she had insisted that Kate needed to have her hair done and that she was going to be the one to do it. That set into motion several hours of beautification. “I always thought I could have been a hairstylist or cosmetologist.”

“I feel like I am going to prom,” Kate said, admiring the tasteful manicure and pedicure that Josie had forced upon her. “It’s just a dinner party.”

Josie grabbed Kate by the shoulders and squeezed, reassuringly. “Please let me have this one. Besides, you liked the cut I gave you, didn’t you.”

Kate sighed. “Yes. I do.” It had been a long time since Kate had time or reason to get a haircut but she had to admit that she liked the fresh trim Josie had done.

“Just give me one moment…” Josie ran a brush through Kate’s hair. “All done! Take a look!” She said, handing Kate a mirror.

Kate’s hair pulled half up and half down, fell around her shoulders in loose wavy curls. If she had a word to describe her appearance it would have been “ethereal” or “queenly.” Josie would have never said it, but she was trying to make Kate into Negan’s visual equal. And Josie felt like she came pretty damn close.

Standing, Kate slipped heels on and opted to wear the teardrop diamond pendant and earrings that Negan had given her the night he introduced her to The Sanctuary. Surveying herself in the full-length mirror, she felt confident. “You did good Josie.”

“Yup. Now go do your thing.” Josie looked around the mess of Kate’s room. “I’ll clean this up.”

Kate made her way up a floor and found herself standing before Negan’s door. Giving the guards standing on either side a look, she knocked.

“Fuck off!”

“Negan, it’s Kate.”

The door flew open to reveal a wet Negan in a towel. “Fuck me…” Negan pulled her into the room and slammed the door. Backing away to get a better look at Kate he rubbed his face with his hands. “You look fan-fucking-tastic. Drink?” Negan gestured to the bar. “Gin?”

Kate nodded and watched Negan pour the liquid into a glass and hand it to her. He smiled at her warmly. “I got to put some clothes on. You, uh…wait here.”

Kate could hear the sounds of activity through the doors that led to Negan’s boardroom but she assumed that he had some sort of grand entrance planned. She waited and waited until finally, he emerged, in the same outfit as always, freshly shaved. Negan offered her an arm which she accepted.

Kate was not wrong about the grand entrance. Negan flung open the doors, loudly greeting people and gesturing with Lucille but Kate barely noticed what he was doing, taking in the transformation of the previously dingy boardroom. The now clean windows glinted in the sideways slant of the setting sunlight, the formerly grimy tables now shown with a coat of fresh polish, the carpet had been vacuumed, and the tattering draperies replaced. A bar had been set up in the corner, complete with a bartender.

 But, by far, the thing Kate noticed the most was how completely overdressed she was. The handful of women milling about the table and talking in groups were wearing at best tunic dresses. If Kate's attire was best suited for a prom or upscale cocktail party, theirs was for a job interview or funeral.

Everyone gawked at Kate. There was no denying that she was on display and that it was intentional. It was Negan who had given Kate this dress. Internally, Kate seethed. Outwardly she quickly shook off her shock and smiled warmly to the onlookers.

“All right people! Glad you fuckfaces could make it and I am VERY excited to see what new shit you have for me.” Negan clapped his hands and rubbed them together in glee. “But first, I wanted to introduce ya’ll to my newest wife and business partner Kate.” Negan gave Kate a kiss on the cheek and she tried not to flinch at the spectacle.

Kate smiled. "Some of you I know," she said, nodding towards Cole who looked just about as awkward as she felt, "And the rest I look forward to getting to know as we move forward to create a new civilization." Kate raised the glass in her other hand in a toast. "Cheers!"

Kate was a little surprised that many of the others mirrored her movement and returned the salutation.

Negan dropped her arm and abandoned her side to talk to Simon, a very casually dressed red-haired woman, and a short man in a hilariously mismatched outfit of dress pants and a denim vest.

Feeling suddenly exposed, Kate was grateful that Cole chose to come up to her. "Didn't expect to see you here. What are you drinking?"

Cole grinned. "Yeah, tell me about it. It was kind of dumped into my lap this morning." He shook his glass. "Straight whiskey."

"Ugh...I always made fun of Lyssa for drinking the same thing. Awful."

“Yes, I did notice her love for it when she invited me to stay for lunch yesterday.”

Kate raised an eyebrow and tapped a finger against her glass. “Oh really?”

Cole blushed. “Yes.”

It did not go unnoticed by Kate. “Good. There should be more friendly interactions between our two communities. We need to be strong partners.”

“Exactly.” Cole nodded.

“Were you still at Mountain Top when I sent the message relay about Dwight?”

Cole nodded. “I thought the Dwight thing was supposed to be very hush-hush,” he asked, voice suddenly low.

“I think it is,” Kate returned the whisper. “I just connected a lot of dots and asked Negan if he wanted another set of eyes in the area. Not that I think Dwight would be stupid enough to try to seek refuge at Haven. But I don’t want to take chances.”

“Understandable.” Cole thought for a moment. “I don’t understand why he didn’t ask you in the first place.”

Kate laughed. “Because he barely thinks about me in a leadership capacity at all, much less as one who can be useful to him as more than a cash cow. It’s ironic.”

“Why?”

The alcohol was making Kate a little freer with her thoughts than she should have been. “Because part of the reason behind our little deal is because Haven poses a serious military threat to The Sanctuary. We still would lose. But Negan wouldn’t exactly win unscathed.” She swirled the remaining ice in her glass. “It’s in both of our best interests to become as close allies as possible.” She sighed. “But I don’t think he understands how to do that.”

“Well… we are allies.” Cole said, pointing from himself to Kate. “Maybe you should get to know people here, make some more allies.”

“It’s not a bad idea. What can you tell me about those people?”

Cole looked around the room. “Not all of these are outpost leaders. Some are just high ranking lieutenants.” He subtly nodded to a greasy looking man skulking in the back corner. “For instance, that is Wade.”

Kate nodded. “I heard Negan has him out looking for Dwight.”

Cole raised a surprised eyebrow. “That is news to me. Maybe it’s his attempt to get into Negan’s good graces.”

“What about the other skeleton man?” Kate glanced towards another painfully thin and sullen-looking man who was already seated and staring almost mournfully into his drink.

Cole laughed softly. “That is Gavin. He works with a settlement called The Kingdom. A lot of the fresh produce and meat comes from there so it has to be a big operation. And those two,” Cole indicated a short, muscular Asian man and a tall, pudgy man dripping in gold chains, “are Jiro and Garth, Gavin’s brother. Jiro manages tributes from a small group. Garth controls some sort of RV park or something. ”

“What is with discount mafia Negan?” Kate said nodding towards Garth.

“Yeah, I noticed that too.”

“It’s hard not to.” The man was clearly trying to emulate his leader’s general sense of style but doing quite poorly at it.

Cole shrugged. “Garth and Gavin have been around since almost the beginning. It’s why they have cushy jobs running important outposts.”

“And how long have you been around, Cole?” Kate asked.

“Almost two years.”

“Hmmm…you seem to know a lot for someone who hasn’t been around very long.”

Cole gave her a mischievous smile. “What can I say? I have ambitions and I pay attention. These are things Negan rewards.”

“Obviously.” Kate rolled her eyes. “Everyone here is so much older than the both of us. Hopefully, you don’t have a target on your back.”

“If I do, it won’t be these people who aim for it. It will be someone just as ambitious as me. Or maybe Wade, since he seems kinda pissed.”

“Well, if I were you, I would make nice with Laura and Arat. They both want to move up.”

Cole nodded his appreciation of the information, taking a sip of his drink.

“Who is the last pair? Talking with Negan and Simon?”

“Bud and Paula. They run a grow operation in an old satellite station.”

_So that is where the weed comes from…_ thought Kate. “I’ve heard of Paula before, from Simon.” The four were very engrossed in a discussion.

“Rumor has it that something big is going on there, but I don’t know the rest.”

“Hmm…Maybe I should take this time to make some introductions for myself.” Kate looked at the various partners, lieutenants, and their seconds gathered in groups around the room who poorly covered that they watched her and Cole speak.

Kate didn’t get the chance though. The discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door announcing the arrival of food. The internal power struggle of the Saviors unfolded before Kate as some people grabbed seats like they had been assigned to them and others silently jockeyed to sit close to Negan. In this convoluted game of musical chairs, Kate found herself seated near the middle of the table next to Paula. Kate watched Negan have a hushed discussion with Garth as plated dishes were placed in front of the attendees and drinks filled. Negan did not look particularly happy.

Kate glanced down at her meal. _Holy shit…Steak?_ She felt equal amounts of appreciation and horror at the decadence and hoped that someone somewhere happened to have some beef cows they were slaughtering instead of dairy cows.                                                                

“So…interesting outfit you have on. But don’t you think you are a _little_ overdressed?” The sarcastic, yet not unfriendly drawl came from her left and Kate turned to Paula. The woman had a bemused smirk on her face.

“I noticed. Negan told me to wear it. His idea of a joke perhaps.” Kate said, cutting her food.

The redhead gave her an appraising squint. “If I didn’t know better, I would say he wanted you to feel on display.” She waved a finger at the dress. “This is all very ‘you can look, but you can’t touch’ to me.”

“I don’t disagree, Paula. But we both know how Negan can be. One day you could be enjoying your quiet job growing marijuana and the next day you could be out on your ass like Wade.” Kate enjoyed the look of surprise that flashed across the woman’s face.

“You’ve done your homework, I see.” She extended a hand, which Kate accepted. “You have me at a disadvantage, Kate. The only wives I’ve met are those simpering idiots upstairs and never at a dinner meeting. Negan seems to prefer not mixing business with pleasure.” She took a long drink from her glass. “Tell me, how does one become a wife and in an alliance with the Saviors?”

“Easy,” Kate said, chewing and swallowing. “The same way as the history books. I have land and resources Negan wants but I didn’t like his terms. Now he gets what he wants and a foothold in our area and I got what I wanted and safety.” She looked toward the head of the table. “And I guess I get him too.”

“What a _prize_ that must be…”

Kate laughed. “It’s a job. The hours are terrible but the benefits package is excellent.”

Paula nearly choked on her own food. “You are one funny bitch.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Kate smiled.

The two chatted on an off over the course of the meal. Kate told Paula a little of Haven and in return Paula talked about being one of few women at the outpost and being in a position of authority with Bud seated across the table, whom Paula introduced to Kate, making a point to whisper that they were not in a relationship together. Kate got the impression that Paula was a hard and ambitious woman, yet she liked her- just as Simon said she would.

Once or twice Kate caught Negan eyeing her with a very strange expression on his face, one of thinly veiled jealousy. _Well, if you wanted to keep an eye on me, you should have kept me closer…_ She thought to herself, as she laughed at something Bud said. He was a down to earth and crass man, but Kate found him likable.

The dinner conversation was interrupted by a noise from the head of the table as Negan banged Lucille’s grip on the wood, like a gavel. “Alrighty, motherfuckers! I hope you enjoyed your dinner because I fucking did. Now! Let’s get this fucking meeting going. I’m eager to get to my dessert and I don’t like to be kept waiting.” To Kate’s horror, Negan WINKED at her and she could feel her traitorous face turning red at the barely concealed smirks of the seated guests.

Finger’s clenched under the table, Kate retorted, “Maybe you need to learn to love delayed gratification, Negan. You don’t want to get soft, do you?” Feeling vindicated by the murmur of laughter from the gathered host, she flashed Negan a wicked smile.

“Aha…very fucking funny, Kate.” Negan’s smile did not reach his eyes. Suddenly, he pointed Lucille down the table. “Gavin! I want to know ALL about the shit you have collected for me!”

Startled, Gavin sat up straight. “Tributes at The Kingdom have continued smoothly. Weapons, produce, and meat are collected weekly.” Gavin rattled off a list of totals as Kate thought about how she could not fathom Saviors showing up at her gate weekly.

As Jiro spoke about the small library group producing small tributes and Garth detail how he faced open hostility while collecting tributes, Kate had an uneasy feeling that Haven was getting a light and feathery touch from Negan and The Saviors. Whether this was due to Cole’s geniality, Haven’s relative usefulness, Kate’s deal with Negan, or a combination of these Kate could not say.

“And then this grey-haired BITCH just spits at my feet so I backhanded her!” Kate cringed as Garth guffawed obnoxiously as he loudly gulped down his drink.

Negan did not seem particularly impressed with Garth’s story. “Do I need to send someone to fucking help you, Garth, or can you handle this shit?”

Garth paled at the implication that he was replaceable. “Nno…I got it under control.”

Negan relaxed. “Good. Remember, making a fucking example goes a long way if you have to.”

Kate internally shuddered, thinking about the “example” Negan made at Haven.

“Cole, what was the account at Haven? What did my _wife_ bring for me this time?” There was a hardness still in his voice that worried Kate.

Whatever Negan intended by calling attention to Kate did not play out as he wanted it too, as Cole rattled off an impressive list of items and the lieutenants nodded their admiration to her.

“Everything went smooth and I brought excess supplies with me. We don’t need everything we gathered at the outpost.” Cole said sheepishly.

“Cole,” Kate spoke up. “You forgot the insulin I brought here with me.”

That proved to be a mistake. Kate could see Negan’s face subtly harden as lieutenants started throwing questions at Kate about the state of her medical supplies and capabilities.

“How do you have insulin to give away?”

“Do you have other medical supplies? Vaccinations?”

“Are you open to trading with other outposts?”

“Uh…” Kate stammered. “We do have vaccines and can produce some…”

Negan banged Lucille on the table. “People! Calm your fucking tits!” The crowd silenced. “That’s better. All potential trades and supply needs get submitted to me as FUCKING usual and I will decide what goes where.”

The lieutenants glanced at each other like naughty children chastised by their father.

“Now,” Negan continued, “Paula, will you tell us your news from the satellite outpost?” Negan looked excited and Kate could tell that he had saved this information for last.

“Certainly,” Paula intoned, a smug smile of satisfaction crossing her face. “We have found another settlement.”

Startled, Kate glanced sideways at Paula while the rest of the lieutenants, with a few jealous looking exceptions, clapped, cheered, and offered congratulations.

“Now, we are still in the process of doing recon to discover their situation. But it looks like they may be very receptive to a protection offer. They are defending their walls with metal forge spears.”

“If they have a forge, why are the making spears instead of bullets?” Cole asked, and then shrank as eyes turned to him.

_He really needs to be more confident in his position._ Kate thought. _I don’t want him getting replaced._

Bud answered for Paula. “The whole place is one of those fucking weird old-timey historical working farms.”

And without realizing it, Bud revealed to Kate exactly where this settlement was. She had fond memories of several childhood trips to Barrington House, a museum about an hour and a half southeast of Haven. _Where the hell is this satellite outpost?_ She thought to herself.

Kate was so lost in thought as the others talked about the details of the settlement that she didn’t notice that Negan had dismissed the meeting until people started pushing their chairs away from tables and grabbing more drinks at the makeshift bar.

“It was enjoyable meeting you.” Paula extended a hand to Kate, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“You too.” Kate returned the handshake, standing. “And congratulations on such an important discovery.”

“Yeah, fingers crossed that Bud doesn’t do something stupid to fuck it all up.” Paula rolled her eyes towards him.

Kate looked around the other woman. “I think you can manage him.”

Paula laughed. “Probably. We are staying the night here.” She said, changing the topic. “You have a room with the other wives?”

Kate shook her head. “Not quite. I have my own separate apartment, for lack of a better word.”

Paula widened her eyes. “Interesting. All the lieutenants have rooms on that floor too. Would you like to continue this conversation downstairs or…” Paula glanced towards Negan.

Negan was watching the two woman, looking past the group of people trying to talk to him, clearly not hearing a word they were saying to him

Kate made brief eye contact with Negan before looking away quickly from his burning gaze. “I think I might have other commitments later…” She trailed off.

Paula laughed low and harsh. “Yes, looks about right. Well, I guess I will see you around or whatever.” She said, walking out the conference room door, Bud trailing after her.  

Kate felt suddenly very alone, exposed, and unable to leave. Taking a deep breath she approached Negan and his followers. “Negan…” Kate placed a hand on his arm, catching his attention. “I…”

She was interrupted as he pulled her into his arms and captured her in an incredibly possessive kiss. Kate was torn by the dueling emotions that assaulted her, intense desire at his touch and embarrassment at the coughs she heard as the kiss lingered too long.

As abruptly as the kiss started it ended. “Yes?” Negan said, very nonchalantly, releasing her and wiping a thumb across his mouth.

“Um…” Kate stuttered, weak. “I wanted to let you know I was going to my room if you don’t need me right now.”

“Little girl, you do whatever the fuck you want.” He said, giving Kate a devilish grin.

“I’m going to leave, then, and…uh…you know where to find me, I guess?”

 “You bet your ass I do.” Negan said, patting her backside as Kate turned.

Mortified and unsure of how to react, Kate made a hasty retreat to the sound of guffaws and giggles.

* * *

 

Fuck!" She swore as she came, spasming around Negan's expert cock and he grunted in return, spilling himself into her.

Collapsing next to her, Negan caught his breath for a moment. "Jesus, that was just what the doctor fucking ordered," he said, stretching out with a sigh. Reach over to his bedside drawer he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply. "Hard to believe that one day there won't be any of these babies left."

He offered it to her and she accepted. "I guess you will have to find someone to grow tobacco." She said, exhaling and passing it back.

"Yes, but it won't have that smooth jet fuel kick."

They laughed and she ran her nails through Negan's chest hair, wondering if she could get him to talk to her. "Why am I here, Negan?"

She could feel him tense under her arm. "Because you're my wife, I asked if you wanted to fuck, and you said yes?" He shrugged. "It's not fucking complicated."

"You know that's not what I mean. Why AM I here? Why are you here with me and not Kate?"

Negan grumbled and rolled out of bed. "I don't need this shit from you too." He said, pouring himself a drink. He downed it before refilling his glass and pouring a second glass.

He handed it to Josie who was sitting up in bed now, sheets bunched up around her body, and she took it. "Too?"

Negan sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Simon had some words for me after dinner." He didn't elaborate.

Josie ran a finger around the rim of the glass. "So why isn't she here?"

Negan's expression grew dark. "It's just fucking complicated."

Josie made a sound of disbelief. "How is it complicated? You made her come here and then you've spent the last two days ignoring her."

"Hey! I don't need to fucking explain my decisions to you." Negan said, slamming his empty glass on the bedside table so hard Josie thought it might break.

"People talk, Negan." She said, softly

What the _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?" Negan angrily started pacing, pulling on his discarded briefs.

Josie thought a moment before speaking. "People notice you don't give her the respect she deserves."

"She is my GODDAMN _wife_." Negan said anger etched into his face.

"Yes, and YOU made her into something more, gave her a personal suite, and told everyone to treat her differently. So you have to treat her differently." Josie downed the drink and put the glass on the table next to Negan’s.

Negan snorted "Like you said, I gave her private rooms."

"And she didn't ask for that. Way to paint a target on her. Frankie and Tanya just..."

"You seem to have a lot of fucking opinions on who I should or shouldn’t be fucking and what I do with my time, my shit, and my people." Negan interrupted. "So tell me, Josie, why exactly did you _FUCKING_ throw yourself at me tonight?"

Josie sighed and scratched her nose nervously. "Because if I hadn't you would have asked Frankie or Tanya and I know I won't talk about it or try to hurt Kate by gloating to her face. She deserves better."

Negan's face contorted into a snarl and Josie knew she had gone too far and hit on something that Negan found sensitive.

"Get the fuck out of my room…" He growled, low and menacing, pointing to the door.

Josie tumbled out of the bed and scrambled for her clothes.

"NOW!" Negan roared

Josie threw her dress back on and grabbed her underwear to take with her. "I'm going! God..."

Having said her piece, she slammed the door behind her.

* * *

 

Kate had never been treated so overtly rudely in her life by anyone as Negan had just now. Catcalling before the world went to shit? Sure. The occasional creepy message and unsolicited dick picture on social media? Absolutely. Thankfully over time the sighs, sideways glances, and thinly veiled condescension towards her leadership had vanished over time. But never had she been put on display and slapped on the ass in a room of people. _Is this fucking Mad Men?_ Kate thought, hurrying back to her room.

Exhausted, she had wanted nothing more than to take off this stupid dress. Slamming the door to her room she kicked off her shoes, struggled to pull her dress over her head before throwing it into a corner, and ripped off her belt of concealed knives. Collapsing onto the edge of the bed, Kate rubbed at her temples, breathing deeply, and collecting her thoughts. _This is not your house. These are not your rules. I need a fucking drink._

Sighing, Kate grabbed a bottle of Riesling from the fridge and opened it with corkscrew she found jumbled in one of the drawers. Searching her cupboards for a wine glass Kate, once again, felt a tightening in her chest as she found them filled with a random assortment of funky looking dishes and glasses. She filled one glass and downed it, reveling in the sour-sweet taste, before pouring herself another. Staring at the open shelves for a long time she sighed again, pulling another glass down and setting it on the counter next to the bottle. _That man is giving me whiplash and it is fucking irritating._

Wandering over to the turntable, Kate continued to sip at the cool liquid as she flipped through the stack of records and laughed to herself as she found one called "Songs of the 70s To Make Love To." _Of course…_ Predictably, Marvin Gaye started crooning, soliciting another smile from Kate.

Feeling the effect of the alcohol, Kate shimmied to her dresser, head bobbing to the music, and opted to try on one of the barely there negligees instead of a t-shirt and shorts. Putting her glass on the nightstand, she flopped onto the bed and grabbed the top book from the stack to browse as she waited for Negan.

And waited.

Kate flipped the record and poured herself another glass.

And waited again.

Kate put on another record. Jazz this time.

Her ears perked at the sound of footsteps overhead and descending down the stairwell. Kate jumped up from the bed, grabbed the bottle, poured wine into the second glass, and sat at the table waiting.

And she kept waiting.

Waited as the footsteps passed by her door, never pausing for a moment, and she heard Negan fling the lounge doors open, eliciting squeals from Tanya and Frankie.

_Son of a motherfucking bitch…_ Kate pursed her lips, features etched in stone and tapped a finger on the table trying to decide what to do. ”Fuck it!” She grumbled to herself, chugging first the rest of her glass and the second one she had poured for Negan. Pulling the jazz record off the turntable, she tossed it to the side before finding something closer to her mood- Black Sabbath.

_This is my fucking vacation and I won’t let that fucker get in my head._ Kate’s thoughts raced less and less coherently as she finished off one bottle of wine and opened another. Making her way through countless albums, Kate sang and danced along to her favorite songs, screaming the lyrics to distract herself from her growing frustration and hurt, to no avail.

Finally, Kate had had enough of her alcohol laden ruminations and decided to do something about them.

* * *

 

After kicking Josie out of his room, Negan had taken a shower to calm himself as he seethed. On a deeply visceral level, he was unwilling to examine Negan knew that Josie was right. All he could focus on though, at the time, was how much he had wanted Josie to leave before he did something further. Negan had never yelled at Josie before.

Negan had just settled into bed and was relaxing with a book when he was disturbed by a pounding on his door. “Negan! I know you are in there, you colossal bag of dicks!” The voice was followed by giggling. _Kate?_

Negan opened up the door to find his guards trying to block the entrance and Laura trying to pull an obviously drunk Kate away from them. She was in a sheer black teddy, tits hanging out, her makeup blurred and hair was a disheveled mess. She had a death grip on a half-empty wine bottle. “Hey! I jus…jus wanna see my husband. Let me go!”

Laura’s eyes widened at Negan. “I’m sorry! I tried to stop her and…”

Negan held up a hand. “Just get her the fuck in here.” Negan grabbed Kate and pulled her into his room and shut the door

“Hey!” Kate giggled again

Negan turned to Laura. “You were saying?”

Laura looked terrified. “I don…don't know. She was in her room and then suddenly she just was in the hall and knocked me over. I don’t even think she knew it. I ran after her but she was too quick.”

“You aren’t in trouble.” Laura noticeably relaxed. “Go back to your post and I will deal with this shitshow.”

Laura nodded and retreated as quickly as possible.

Negan sighed. He knew what happened next was not going to be pretty. Negan opened his door and narrowly missed a wine bottle that shattered on the wall next to his head, dripping liquid. “Jesus Christ!” He exclaimed shutting the door again. “Not a word about this to anyone. Got it?” He said, pointing to his guards, who nodded. Fairly confident that Kate likely had exhausted her one and only projectile on hand, Negan threw the door open and slammed it shut. “What the FUCK was THAT!” He roared.

“YOU…you sociopathic cocksucking asshole BASTARD.” Kate pointed a drunken finger at Negan.

He stared at her. “You’re drunk.” There was ice in his voice.

Kate didn’t care. “What the fuck is your game? Huh? What was that tonight?”

“I don’t have any fucking idea what you are talking about.” Negan’s voice was hard.

“Don’t…don’t you give me that shhh…shhhit…” Kate slurred. “You dressed me up like a fucking trophy and trotted me out in fr…front of all your LIEUTENANTS like some sort of fucking conquest.” Kate began speaking in a deep voice, making a mocking impression of Negan. “Look at me! Look how fucking amazing I am! Look at this piece of ass I have! Look at all the shit I got! HEY!” Kate was interrupted as Negan grabbed her arms. “Get your FUCKING hands of…off of me!” She struggled, trying to push him away, but he was too strong.

“You need to shut your fucking mouth, little girl before you embarrass yourself.” Negan hissed.

“Why the FUCK do you care, Negan? Why is my reputation so all goddamn _fucking_ important right now? Cause it sure as shit wasn’t when you made a fool of me at dinner.”

Negan was angry at the accusation, disgusted he pushed away from Kate, dropping his hold on her. “Well, you seemed pretty fucking comfortable, commanding attention and schmoozing up to people.”

Kate stared at Negan in disbelief for a moment before falling into hysterical laughing. “Are you SERIOUSLY upset that my attempt to maintain what fucking SHRED of dignity I HAVE here with these people took the spotlight of…off of you?” Kate laughed again. “That is fucking RICH coming from you.”

“Dignity? What the fuck are you talking about? You’re a wife!”

“Hmm…let me count all the damn fucking ways.” Kate started counting sarcastically. “First there was your little mandatory gyno exam yesterday given by the man I gave you as a hostage.  Second, was your little st..stunt tonight, having me dress like a whore for a BUSINESS MEETING. Third, and a very fucking close third, if you are going INSIST I have to be here, away from important things, you could at least do me the cour…courtesy of fucking me. Instead, you have passed me over not once, but FUCKING TWICE! A fact that I can assure you has not escaped the no...notice of those two little bitch….”

Kate was cut off as Negan, his expression dark and full of rage, grabbed her and captured her lips in an angry burning kiss. Backing her against the wall, Negan ran his hands up her leg and Kate almost lost her reserve.

Almost.

Negan reeled back as Kate slapped him across the face. “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” She said, tears starting to pour from her eyes. “You don’t get to treat me like shit for no…nno reason and then think that a quick fuck is somehow going to make it better. Read the fucking room, Negan!” Kate laughed as she began to cry in earnest now. She was pacing and Negan reached out for her again. “No!” Kate said, keeping him at arm’s length. “You… say… I’m your goddamn wife and ally but NNNOTHING in the last two days tt..tells me you vvv…value me as either.” Kate’s voice hitched as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Kate…” There was something softer in Negan’s eyes as he spoke but Kate was having none of it as she cut him off.

“No. Don’t. I can’t tak…take anything more tonight.” Kate flung opened the door startling the guards who jumped to attention. “Everything is fine! I’m fucking leaving! Jesus!” Embarrassed, Kate felt snot drip begin to drip down from her nose and she wiped it away angrily with the back of her hand. “I just…just want to go home” And she slammed the door behind her.

And inside Negan’s own room, once again his guards heard the shatter of glass on the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, Let me tell you a story. I would have had this uploaded yesterday but my computer power unit died on me last night. Like, I had to get it rush fixed at a repair store because I have my thesis defense scheduled for 2 weeks from now. 
> 
> I am so happy that I got this chapter done in about a month. There will VERY likely be a bit of a longer gap til the next one because I am attempting PhD applications. In other news, I now have I have 50 subscribers, which doesn't seem like a lot but it is a milestone for me. I can't believe 50 people want to be notified when I post. I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH


	15. Hungry Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those chapters that was going to be a lot longer and then ended up having a nice little stopping place. It is definitely a short one and it is about 80% good old fluff and smut. Enjoy!

[Hungry Eyes - Eric Carmen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7lw1SBYb8)

* * *

Kate started awake. Light poured through open curtains she had flung open the night before and she was still wearing that stupid negligee. Kate groaned. She was dehydrated and very hungover

Kate had often said her ability to weather a night of copious drinking and yet remember everything she did and said was a blessing and a curse. In her college years, she had helped many a person find their missing cars, reminded them of their drunken antics, and thwarted an unsettling amount sexual assaults.

In was a curse because Kate remembered EVERY stupid thing she ever said and did. Every annoying laugh, every careless comment. EVERYTHING. And this morning it was definitely a curse.

She lay there as she gathered the will to move, thinking about every word she drunkenly screamed at Negan. Kate did not get truly angry often. It was something that had served her well as the leader of Haven. Because on the rare occasions she did get angry she tended to throw things. Throwing a wine bottle at Negan had not been one of her proudest moments.

“Shit...” she said to herself. “I am so unbelievably fucked.” It came out as a croak. Kate began to mentally berate herself. How could she be so stupid as to jeopardize the safety of Haven, the deal she had made, by getting upset, getting drunk, and losing control? It was the most reckless and careless thing Kate had ever done in her lifetime.

Kate looked at the clock. It was close to nine but she couldn't muster enough energy to care about how late in the morning it was. It felt like swimming through molasses but Kate finally managed to roll her legs out over the bed. She fumbled through a bag she brought, pulling out a clean pair of underwear, leggings, and a t-shirt. Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, Kate shuffled into the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet until her fingers clenched to a bottle of aspirin like her life depended on it.

Relieving the elephant on her bladder, Kate took the pills and kept chugging the water, thinking about her options. The truth of the matter was that Kate was embarrassed and terrified. She didn’t want to confront Negan, didn’t want to see him. And at this point, Kate didn’t even know what would constitute damage control.

Putting on the fresh clothes, Kate groaned, appraising herself in the mirror. Tangled mess of hair, deep sunken circles around bloodshot eyes. _I look like the walking dead._ She grabbed a brush and started trying to sort through the bird's nest.

Kate was grunting in pain tugging at the last of the knots when there was a knock at the door. Kate froze. She called out nervously, "Who is it?"

"It's your friendly neighborhood babysitter. And I've brought breakfast."

Kate opened the door. "Simon." She sighed in relief.

He placed the tray on the table and took a seat.

Kate took a seat across from him and surveyed the tray of coffee, buttered toast, and eggs. Her stomach grumbled in hunger.

"Figured you would want something light after your little adventure last night."

Kate paused in the middle of a bite of toast and chewed slowly before answering. "How fucked am I, Simon?"

The older man shrugged. "Hard to tell. More than some I've seen, less than others." He smoothed his mustache with his fingers. "I _think_ you should be fine. At least he hasn’t brought up changing the deal or raged about punishments. Which he would do if he was thinking about it.”

Kate nodded. “Thank you. I really hope so.” She smiled weakly. “Do you blame me for last night?”

Simon furrowed his brow. “I don’t blame you for being pissed. Negan acted like an ass. But I don’t think that excuses everything. I don’t think you understand what would have happened to another person who did that, especially if other people had witnessed it.”

“I know my status here protects me from getting the iron. Or worse.” Kate deadpanned.

Simon raised an eyebrow.

Kate shrugged. “There are worse things he could do to me than mangling my face, Simon. Things that impact my ability to lead or protect my people. And I can’t win that fight.”

Kate continued to eat the breakfast, knowing she needed to put food into her body, but not enjoying it.

Simon watched her in silence until she couldn’t eat anymore. “You ready to go?” He said, getting up.

Kate nodded. “Almost. I got to get a few things straightened out first.”

Simon gave an exasperated sigh in response and he leaned against the door.

Kate felt Simon’s eyes on her as she brushed teeth, threw clothes into her bag, and belted her knives around her waist. Kate contemplated wearing her smaller knives under her shirt but tossed them into the bag. Checking the magazine and the chamber of her gun she slipped it under the belt. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she paused. “Is Laura one of the guard in the hallway this morning?”

“Yes?” Simon said, confused. “Why?”

Kate grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge. “Making amends.” Kate gestured to the door Simon blocked. "I'm ready..."

Simon moved and opened the door.

Kate handed Laura the bottle of wine as she left, much to the other woman's surprise. "I know it doesn't mean much. But I'm sorry about last night and thank you."

Laura nodded appreciatively.

Kate followed Simon in silence down endless staircases wondering to herself if she should have said goodbye to Josie. She dismissed the idea, not wanting to interact with Frankie and Tanya and the smug attitude they were certain to have over Kate getting passed over. And, on a largely more vain level, Kate felt she looked like shit from passing out without showering and she didn’t want to give them that ammunition. _My hair is greasy as fuck._ Kate thought, self-consciously running a hand through her locks as Simon held the door for her and exited into the front courtyard. Kate paused mid-stroke, eyes widening, stopped in her tracks, nearly causing Simon to run into her.

Slicked back hair and jacket glinting in the morning, Negan leaned against the passenger side door of the maroon Chevy Suburban. Like a modern version of an ancient Greek statue, he had one arm on his hip and the other draped over the side view mirror dangling Lucille. “Good morning, little girl.” Negan flashed Kate a grin that reminded her of a wolf looking at a piece of meat.

“Shit...” Kate said under her breath. She tried to turn around but Simon stopped her. “I thought you were taking me home.” Kate hissed angrily at him.

Simon feigned mock ignorance. “When did I EVER say that?” He turned her back to face Negan and pushed her towards him. “He won’t bite, honey.”

“Fuck you, Simon,” Kate said through gritted teeth.

Negan stared at her and Kate felt incredibly uncomfortable. “I want Simon to take me home.”

Negan shook his head and opened the door for her. “Get in the car.”

Kate shook her head back. “No.”

Negan’s jaw tightened. “I’m not playing this game. Get...in....the... _fucking_...car.”

Kate stared at Negan for a full minute, hoping he would relent before giving up and climbing into the passenger seat, tossing her bag into the back.

Negan slammed her door and stalked around the front if the SUV before getting behind the wheel. He started it in silence and began to pull out if the gate Simon opened for them. Kate saw Simon give a patronizing wave to her in the side mirror. She rolled the window down and flipped him off before putting it back up.

Kate was determined not to say anything, certain that Negan wanted an apology from her that he would never get. They drove in silence for a good ten minutes before Negan surprised Kate by speaking.

“You were...right... about last night.” Negan cleared his throat. “It was wrong for me to make you come here and then ignore you.” Kate saw him tighten his grip on the wheel and after an awkward pause he said, “I’m sorry.”

Kate couldn't tell if he was sincere. "Hmmm" was all the response she could come up with.

Negan sighed deeply. "And I am sorry about dinner."

Kate considered her words before she spoke. "Are you actually sorry or only sorry because you got called out on your shit?"

Negan gave an exasperated grumble. "Am I not allowed to change my mind? For fuck's sake, Kate, I don't often feel like I am wrong. So just take the damn apology."

"You can't make me accept a goddamn apology Negan. That's not how they fucking work. You humiliated me..."

"Jesus Christ!" Negan pounded the steering wheel. "Look, I've been pissed off lately and I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

"Fine! Thank you!"

They lapsed into uncomfortable silence before Kate spoke again. "Just because you are upset that you can't find Dwight, doesn't mean you can take your anger out on me."

"Oh...my... _FUCKING_... God! This, this right here is WHY I didn't want to spend time with you. Because you pick at things, try to get into my head, and want to talk about shit that doesn't concern you."

"Doesn't concern me? Fuck off ‘it doesn't concern me’. You made it my business when you decided to pile all your angst on me." Kate turned in her seat. "It’s MY fucking business because it will be MY ASS on the line when you get into a dick measuring contest with the wrong fucking people because you are pissed off, or angry, or upset. It doesn't matter if this alliance is just lip service to you. They are going to think it's legitimate."

Negan scoffed. "That isn't going to happen, little girl."

Kate stared at him incredulously. "You can't possibly fucking know that." She turned back forward. "That kind of cocky bullshit is how you get killed."

"God, why are you being such a downer bitch..." Negan rolled his eyes at Kate's gasp. "I read your medical file. PMSing much?"

"Son of a bitch..." Kate started yelling and then stopped. She spoke quietly, which unnerved Negan. "Stop the car."

"What? No..."

"Stop the car, Negan." She yelled again when he didn't comply quickly enough for her taste. "STOP THE GODDAMN FUCKING CAR!"

Negan slammed on the brakes. "Okay! What the fu....holy shit. Okay..." Negan's tone changed as Kate unbuckled her seatbelt and then his as she straddled his lap.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck, dug her fingers deep into Negan’s hair, and pulled his head to hers in an incredibly aggressive kiss.  

When Kate broke away for air, Negan gave her a lewd grin. "Well...well...well... Isn't this an interesting turn of events...”

She put a finger on his lips. “No. Shut up. This is not for you. This is for me.”

There was a burning depth in her eyes that Negan couldn’t identify. He wordlessly nodded and taking her finger in his mouth he gently drew his teeth down the length of it. Kate shuddered. Unwinding his red scarf and throwing it over the seat, Kate left a trail of kisses down his neck.  

Negan wasn’t certain why Kate suddenly wanted to fuck, but he wasn’t going to argue with it. He slowly ran his hands down her back and kneaded her ass before slipping a hand under the fabric of her leggings. Reaching around, Negan cupped a hand around her heat, absent-mindedly rubbing at her core. Kate moaned against his throat and ground herself down into his lap. He swallowed hard as Kate loosed his belt, and fumbling with buttons and zippers, finally reached inside to reciprocate his touch but his sharp intake of breath was cut off as Kate once again turned her attention to Negan’s lips.

Negan enjoyed watching a woman orgasm. There was always something a little bit magical about it, the way they fought and were overwhelmed by the sensation. Kate was no exception. Their tongues sparred when Kate suddenly broke away from him. She leaned back, bracing herself with a sweaty palm on the window, facial features scrunched in concentration before stiffening, shuddering, and erratically grinding her hips against Negan with a little “Ah...”

He chuckled low and sexual in her ear, still feeling her wetness. “Don’t leave me hanging, little girl.”  Negan whispered placing a hand on top of Kate’s, the one that still held his swollen member.

“Not... finished...” Kate breathed heavily, eyes darting around wildly as she steadied her fast beating heart. “I need you...in me...but there is...no room up here... The horn...attract the dead.” Kate ran a hand through her hair, wiping it from her eyes. She placed her forehead to Negan’s. Closing her eyes, she whispered. “The trunk?” The back row was folded down, leaving ample space.

He nodded and opened his door. Kate disentangled herself from his embrace and slid down, leaning against the side of the car for support. Bereft of her touch, Negan felt his longing for Kate increase, as he followed and opened up the trunk doors.

“Take off your jacket and shirt,” Kate commanded before he could say anything.  
Negan couldn’t remember the last time he let a wife take the lead but he was finding it incredibly arousing to follow Kate’s instructions and he wanted to see what she had in mind. Amused he complied as she sat on the edge of the trunk and watched him, never breaking eye contact.

He tossed his clothes into the back where they joined his scarf. “This is your show, little girl.”

Wordlessly, Kate stood, running one splayed hand up Negan’s stomach and chest and then the other, smiling at the trail of goosebumps they left in their wake. Hooking her thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans, she tugged at them, freeing his hardened cock into the open. Negan grunted as Kate ran a hand down his length, guided him backward, and gently pushed him into a seated position. “Get inside and lay back.” She finally said.

Negan watched Kate, fascinated by her behavior, as she treated him as her plaything. After climbing in after him and shutting the door, Kate straddled Negan, running her nails up and down his body, every so often gyrating against him.

Negan kept trying to hold onto her hips but Kate kept slapping his hands away. “No. Not yet.” She said, replacing her hands with her tongue. Encircling a nipple she grazed it with her teeth and Negan bucked.

“Little girl, I only have so much fucking willpower left.”

“Hmmm...” Kate hummed into his chest. “I guess I better come quickly.” She said, shimmying down her leggings. Taking him in her hand she slid onto his length, sighing in satisfaction. She began to ride him, slowly at first, picking up speed as a flush began to creep across her body. “Touch me,” Kate begged Negan. “Please...”

Negan obliged, once again running his hands over the hills off her ass and down around her legs and thighs.

“Almost...” Kate leaned back pushing off his chest and reaching down between them she furiously began to rub at her engorged and sensitive sex. “Oh god....fuckfuckfuckfuck...yesssss...” she whimpered her release collapsing onto Negan’s chest.

Kate gasped as Negan pulled them into a seated position against the bench row of seats, still buried within her. “It’s my turn now, little girl.” He pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra. “And I want to get my hands on these titties.”

Kate arched her back and moaned as Negan rolled her nipples between his rough fingers, feeling suddenly constricted by the few items of clothing she was still wearing.

“God, you are beautiful,” He said running his nose down her chest. Negan began to violently thrust into Kate, holding her close to him. He was so wrapped up in finding his own release he didn’t feel the scratches she left across his back or the nip on his shoulder as she came again. Finally, he stiffened, growling as he followed.

They remained silent for several moments before Kate started laughing and rolled off of Negan to sit beside him.

“What....is so...goddamn funny?” He asked, out of breath.

“We look ridiculous,” Kate said, leaning into him.

And they did. Negan sat with his ass hanging out of his jeans. Kate wore nothing but her weapons and the chain with her ring on it. Her leggings were bunched up around her ankles. Both of them had their hair sticking out in all sorts of odd directions. Negan started laughing too. “Never looked fucking better, little girl.” He ran a hand down her leg.

They both jumped as a pair of hands slapped against the outside of the window and growls came from walkers attracted by the commotion inside the vehicle.

“Shit,” Negan swore, pulling up his pants and buckling his belt. “I got this.” He reached into the front seat and grabbed Lucille.

Before Kate could protest, Negan slid out the side door, and sprays of gore whipped across the windows as Kate began to throw her own clothes back on. She climbed into the front seat as Negan jumped into the driver’s side. “Everything good?” She asked, handing him his shirt and jacket.

Negan nodded. “There is a bunch more of the fuckers coming through.” He said, throwing his shirt on. “We need to make tracks.” Negan turned the key in the ignition, threw it into drive, and floored it.

“Are they headed towards Haven?” Kate asked, fear in her voice.

Negan shook his head. “North. Something to warn the outpost about though.” He ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back, and checked himself in the rearview mirror. “Damn, little girl, you did a number on me. I am _definitely_ going to need my scarf.” He noticed Kate looking at herself in the visor. “There is a comb in my jacket pocket.”

Finding it, Kate started running the comb through her hair. “No worse than what you did to me our first time. And at least these weren’t on purpose,” she said, giving him a sarcastic smile.

“Hmmm...” Negan murmured, not certain if he believed her.

The silence grew between them again as they drew closer to Haven, but it wasn’t uncomfortable this time. “Thank you for, you know....” Kate trailed off sheepishly as the dove and serpent flag came into view.

“For letting you fuck MY brains out for once?” Negan smiled at her blush. “I enjoyed it too, little girl.”

“Glad to hear it.” Kate placed a hand on his arm. “I...” She trailed off as she noticed a figure standing in front of the gate. “Jesus _fucking_ CHRIST! I should have known she wouldn’t wait...”

“What?” Negan looked confused as he rolled up on the gate and slowed to a stop. “What the fuck is the matter?”

Kate sighed, bit her lip, and then smiled. “How do you feel about meeting my mother?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the calls to the show and the future! And OMG seriously, I am loving the new season so far.
> 
> I can't quite believe I managed to get another chapter out within the month with everything going in. No promises on when the next one will be. I am always working on it, no fear!


	16. Heart of Gold

[Heart of Gold- Neil Young](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OrofA5U-lY)

* * *

 

“Uhhhh...what?” Negan said. “Your mother?” He looked out Kate’s window. “Woah. You look like her. A LOT like her.”

“Yeah, I know. But she acts a lot more like my sister, Lib.” Kate smiled at Negan. “You remember her, I’m sure.”

“Ah yes, the one who doesn’t like me much.”

“Nobody likes you, Negan.”

“You like me just a little bit, admit it.”

The question caught Kate off guard. “I like you enough.”

"Is that what you are going to look like when you are older?"

Having a conversation with Negan felt like experiencing verbal whiplash. "Negan, my mother is your age. You will probably be dead before then."

"Ouch, little girl." Negan smiled. "I'm planning on making it to a hundred."

Kate snorted. "I'm sure you are." She put a hand on the door. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can grab my things and you can leave. I won't be upset."

Negan thought for a moment. "Nahhh...I want to meet the kind of woman who managed to push you out of her vagina and put up with years of your shit."

Kate blanched. "Jesus...that sounds like something my mother would say."

"Hmmm...sounds like a woman I can appreciate."

"I come by my personality honestly. And that is all I am giving you." Kate grabbed her bag from the back. She flung open the door. "Showtime..."

Kate loved her mother, truly she did. And she knew that she was beyond fortunate to still have the family she did. But for all the power she wielded sometimes it was hard to forget that at the end of the day, Kate was still somebody's child. Kate indulged her mother’s pushback of her wishes because they both knew Evelyn wasn’t going to face any consequences for it. And Kate wasn’t going to punish her mother just because she was being annoying. That would not have won her any more love in the heart of her people. Still, Kate wished that her mother didn’t act like such a “mom” sometimes.

And Evelyn was truly the epitome of a mother. Negan took note of her as they approached. _Baggie turtleneck sweater, sneakers, ill-fitting jeans._ “She couldn’t possibly look more like a middle-aged mom could she?” Negan whispered to Kate.

She shook her head. “Nope. Not that I haven’t tried to make suggestions. Now shut up.” Kate hissed through gritted teeth.

Evelyn was staring down the pair with an expression that was a mix of appraisal and blatant dissatisfaction. An expression that Negan recognized Kate had bestowed upon him on more than one occasion but to a less accomplished degree.

Negan felt a shiver run down his spine. No one had given him such a look since he was eight and his grandmother caught him stealing cookies.

“Mom... What are you doing here?” Kate said coolly.

Evelyn eyed Kate up and down. “You look like shit, honey.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say I had a long night.”

Evelyn ignored Kate and kept her attention on Negan. “So, you’re the one who is fucking my daughter.”

Negan couldn’t help himself. He guffawed, loudly.

Kate shook her head, raising a hand to her temple. “Seriously? What the hell, Ma?”

“Hoollyy shit, woman. Does she get her mouth from you too?” He jerked a thumb towards Kate.

“She sure as shit didn’t get it from her father.” Evelyn cocked an eyebrow at him arms crossed.

“You kiss your husband with that filthy mouth?” Negan waggled his eyebrows at her.

“I don’t currently have one.”

“In the market?” Negan gave her a wicked grin.

Kate was surprised to see her mother crack the barest of smiles. “I’m not of a mind to sheath the same sword as my daughter, so to speak.”

“You have a fucking dirty mind, lady.” Negan laughed

“This seriously can’t be happening. This is a legitimate nightmare.” Kate muttered, turning red.

“Don’t be melodramatic, Kate.” Evelyn rolled her eyes at her. “I’m Evelyn. You can call me Evie, I suppose since again, you are fucking my daughter.”

“Evie...” Negan ran the name around in his mouth. “Yes, I am fucking your daughter. And doing a _damn_ good job of it.” He clicked his tongue.

“It’s like I’m not even here.” Kate threw up her hands in a huff. “Are you satisfied now, mother? You got your way. You met Negan. Happy?”

Evelyn hesitated.

“What...?” Kate asked, suspicious.

“I’m actually here to warn you...”

“KATTERRRRINNNNAA!!!” Evelyn was cut off by a shrill cry.

“NO.....WHAT DID YOU DO....” Kate’s eyes widened in horror as she hissed at her mother.

“It was an accident! It slipped out! I didn’t think!” Evelyn sputtered nervously

“Who the hell is Katerina?” Negan asked.

“It’s my name.” Kate shot at Negan. “You never wondered if ‘Kate’ was short for anything?” She turned to her mother. “I can’t FUCKING BELIEVE you right now! She isn’t going to keep her fucking mouth shut. You know that right?”

Negan looked back and forth between the two arguing women. “I am very fucking confused right now. And who is that?” He said, nodding towards an older woman charging towards them, waving her hands erratically.

“My grandmother...” Kate growled, giving her mother a dirty look.

“Sorry...” Evelyn mouthed apologetically.

"Yoohoo!!!! Darling! Are you keeping secrets from me?"

Negan winced as the shrill voice echoed off the walls and set a guard dog on patrol to barking. "Your grandmother? Jesus Christ, little girl, how many relatives are you hiding behind that wall?"

"Less than I started out with, trust me. I told you I had a large family.”

Kate's grandmother was anything bit grandmotherly looking. Turquoise pants and jewelry, a fake tan, yellow flip flops, and a banana yellow, too small long-sleeved shirt were topped off by a huge white golf visor.

She threw her arms around Kate, plastic bracelets clunky together. Kate stumbled back under the assault. "It's been ages since we spoke." Her grandmother pouted "You never come and see meee..." She whined, laying on a guilt trip." The older woman kept an arm around Kate's shoulders in an awkward side hug. Placing a hand on her hip she eyed Negan up and down like he was a piece of meat. "So, Tootsie, what have you been keeping from me?"

 

Kate sighed. "Negan, this is my grandmother...Cookie," she said, gesturing to the woman. "Grandma, this is Negan...my...husband." Kate grimaced at the foreign sounding words.

Cookie pouted. "You should have introduced me as your Auntie!"

Kate frowned. "We have been over this. I don't care how young you are. I am not telling people you are my aunt."

"Oh pooh! You are no FUN, Katerina!" She grabbed Kate's hand and flipped it over. She gasped in horror. "What!? No ring?" She glared at Negan.

Kate sighed and untangled her hand from her grandmothers. She pulled the chain from under her shirt and her ring dangled from the end, spinning, casting flashes in the sunlight.

Negan briefly wondered how he hadn't noticed that during their earlier tryst and felt a flash of something possessive that she wasn't wearing it now.

Cookie stiffed, casting a sidelong glance at Negan. "How...small..." she said with a hint of derision.

"Grandma..." Kate began.

Negan interrupted her, laughing. "Talk to your granddaughter, ma'am. She's the one who picked it."

Cookie made a dissatisfied hum and surprised Negan by grabbing his arms and squeezing. "My! You are a strong, tall drink of water!"

Negan flashed Kate an amused expression. Kate was not happy.

Cookie prattled on. "Katerina, where did you find him? No fair stealing the attractive men my age!"

"Grandma, he is not your age. And you already have a husband."

Cookie made a disapproving clicking sound. "Yes, I KNOW...but one can still look can't they." She noticed the baseball bat. "And what is that?"

Negan proudly waved it. "This is Lucille and she is fucking awesome!" He grinned.

Cookie squealed in delight. "Ooooo....is she named after one of your victims?"

Kate saw something sad pass over Negan's face before he kicked up the charm. "You could say that, darling."

Kate's grandmother ate the attention up. "And do you know how to use it well?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Kate and Evelyn groaned.

Negan wiggled his back. "I am a fucking expert and throwing my bat around."

Cookie giggled. "How positively wicked!"

Kate had reached her limit. "Grandma, enough. You have had your fun and met Negan okay? Now leave. And don't fucking tell anyone!" Kate grabbed her grandmother away from Negan and turned her towards the gate. "Now."

Cookie harrumphed. "So pushy! My lips are Fort Knox, as always."

"Right..." Kate said skeptically.

Cookie waggled her fingers ad Negan but made no move to leave.

Evelyn sighed. "Come on mother..." She steered the woman away.

"Nice to meet you, Negan, Darling!" Cookie called over her shoulder.

Negan and Kate watched Evelyn practically shove Cookie through the door. "That all was something..."

"I know," Kate said, squeezing Negan's hand. She looked up at him. "And thank you." She smiled.

"I'm not going to be meeting a gun-toting father threatening me to have you back at a certain time next, am I?"

Kate's smile faltered. "No. My dad is dead."

"Oh." Negan paused awkwardly. "Before or after?"

Kate knew what he meant. "After."

"I liked your mother. She has a dirty sense of humor. Your grandmother though..."

"She had my mom young. She thinks she is a character from Golden Girls and acts like a teenager." Kate shrugged. "I guess the apocalypse doesn't change everything." Kate shifted, sliding her arms around Negan's middle. "I know Cookie. She will only keep this," She gestured between the two of them. "A secret until she finds someone she thinks will appreciate a juicy tidbit."

Negan raised Lucille. "You could just..." He made a clocking noise with his tongue. "Or I could."

Kate buried her head in his shirt to stifle her laughter. Negan liked it. She felt warm. "I can't kill someone for annoying me, Negan." She sighed and looked up at him. “Besides, that wouldn’t exactly be... received well here."

Negan ran his nose through her hair. Kate smelled of sweat, sex, and something vaguely tropical. "I know, little girl. I can't do that at The Sanctuary either. But I like to fantasize."

“So do I.” Kate sighed and looked up at Negan, studying his face, her chin lightly resting on his chest. "I'm still fucking mad at you, you know?"

"I know. But you'll get over it."

Kate snorted. "Maybe. Thanks to Cookie though, I am going to have to figure out a way to officially introduce you to people here as my husband. I figured I would have to do it sooner or later. And now I know it's sooner rather than later."

"Hmm. That's an interesting thought." Negan withdrew an arm from around Kate and hooked a finger around the chain holding her ring. "Although, I do like the idea of you wearing this full time. Let's people know you are fucking MINE, little girl."

"Nobody owns me but me," Kate said defiantly, dropping her arms from around Negan and crossing them.

Negan laughed, low and calculated. "Hehehehe...Now I sure as FUCK know that isn't true. You're Negan, little girl."

Kate shook her head. "Nope."

Negan looked at her for a long time, squinting, before he pulled her to him and kissed her.

It alarmed Kate sometimes how quickly she responded to Negan. She melted into his embrace and hummed contentedly.

Negan broke away, leaving Kate tingling all over. He still held her face. "See you in a month, little girl.” He let her go and held up his fingers. "Three days, two nights."

Kate bit her lip and nodded. She watched Negan leave, listening to the sound of wheels on broken pavement until they were replaced by the whisper of the spring breeze and the chirping of birds.

Letting the sunlight hit her face a few moments longer Kate collected her thoughts and prepared herself to get back to work. Lib, Gil, and Matt were waiting for her on the other side of the access door.

"Matt, you know that part of your gatekeeper job involves keeping people inside the walls as well as outside, right?" Kate greeted him with a stern look.

Matt shrugged. "I hedged my bets. Figured you didn't want them standing around calling attention to themselves."

Kate thought for a moment. "Fair enough. I'm going to want a meeting with everyone in three hours. Got it?"

Matt nodded. "I'll spread the word."

Kate turned to Lib and Gil. Both were eyeing her with skeptical expressions. "What?” She asked.

"You look like a hot mess." Gil snorted.

"You look like shit." Lib said at the same time.

Kate sighed. “Mom said the same thing.”

Lib snorted. “Long night of partying? I was up on the wall. That was some kiss.”

“Something like that,” Kate growled. “Am I not allowed to get some little enjoyment out of this fucked up situation?”

“Whatever,” Lib said, dismissively. “I have your reports.”

“Great,” Kate said, tersely, grabbing a clipboard out of her sister’s hands. “I will look at these and discuss at the meeting.”

Lib pursed her lips but said nothing as she walked away. Gil followed Kate in silence, leaving her alone as she stood guard outside her room.

Kate chucked the clipboard on her desk and flopped on her bed, exhausted already and it was barely noon. Rubbing her hand on her face, Kate screamed internally. _Cookie knows...I can't believe Cookie knows..._ A wave of raw panic swept through her. It had been a very long time since Kate felt like something of this magnitude was out of her control.

And that was the moment her body decided to rebel against the practiced control she exercised over it. Kate’s stomach heaved and she shot off the bed running to the bathroom, a hand clamped to her mouth as she struggled to hold back vomit. Throwing open the door, she managed to, by the grace of God, make it to the toilet.

Coughing and gagging on her partially digested breakfast, Kate slumped against the wall. _Well, at least I know that didn’t happen because I am pregnant...Small victories._ She weakly laughed at herself. Kate took a moment to catch her breath. Pulling herself to her feet she ran the sink and splashed water on her face and brush the foul taste from her mouth. Surveying herself in the mirror, Kate grimaced. Sighing, she turned on the shower. Stripping off her clothes and getting into the steamy water, Kate let it relax her as she shampooed her hair and washed the evidence of her encounter with Negan down the drain.

Sliding down into the tub Kate sat under the spray thinking about the past few days. What happened, what she did, what she would tell her counsel, what she would do about keeping Negan a secret. Still wearing the chain, Kate absentmindedly flipped the ring over and over in her fingers. She was surprised to find tears slowly rolling down her eyes, mingling with drips of water. Kate sniffed. _Damn hormones..._ She thought to herself. The hot water had run out and Kate sighed, wiping her eyes. Her momentary reprieve from her responsibilities was over.

Toweling off and finding some new clothes, Kate opted to flop on her bed to read the reports Lib had given her.

Progress had been made on watchtowers in the surrounding area. The convict gang had put up framing for twenty feet of the wall expansion. Weapons training was starting to be scheduled. A group of Archangels had run into a moderately large group of walkers and disposed of them, no injuries. A scavenger team cleared a street of houses in a subdivision. The girl Kate had assigned to the team, Lana, had proved her lockpicking skills in opening a gun safe, which now resided in storage with its contents awaiting the next pickup by the Saviors. A baby had been born.

In other words, life had continued much to Kate's relief. Smiling to herself, Kate went to grab her book of people to add the child's information and the local map where she kept a record of cleared houses when she paused, noticing the thick travel map that detailed the tri-state region on her shelf. A new idea sprang into her mind and she unfurled the huge map across her desk.

Scanning the gridlines, she found where Haven was and drew a small circle. Carefully she followed route lines, marking the roads to The Sanctuary before moving on to where she knew the settlement Paula's people had discovered. Kate finished by switching to pencil and putting down her best guess as to where outposts were located, given the small amount of information she had gathered. Looking over her work, Kate whistled. The Saviors reach, if accurate, encompassed huge amounts of territory.

Kate thought for a moment and then pulled an empty sketchbook from her desk. Putting pencil to paper, Kate began to draw The Sanctuary to the best of her memory- layout, configurations, the fighting pits, where everything was located- with detailed notes. There was a stack of drawings by the time Kate was interrupted by a soft knocking on her door.

Lib poked her head in. "We are all here. Waiting..."

Kate looked at the clock. It was fifteen minutes past three.  "Shit..." Kate grumbled, folding up the map and gathering up the papers. "Yeah, I'm coming."

Kate's siblings and cousins circled the table, twelve pairs of blinking eyes waited. Not for the first time Kate wondered if it was a blessing or pure foolishness to feel like she could implicitly trust so many people. Lines of worry etched their faces. It was not often Kate called them all together.

I'll make this short so the rest of you can get back to your jobs before we continue on with our daily meeting."

"We have a bit of a problem." Lib interrupted.

"Cookie knows about Negan." Kate finished, glaring at her sister.

A chorus of groans rang from the table. With the exception of her siblings, none of these people were blood relations to Cookie, but they all knew what it meant.

"Well shit." Lyssa exhaled.

Kate held up a hand. "I've thought a lot about this possibility and, while not ideal, I have been expecting something like this to happen at some point. We all knew Haven would have to be introduced to Negan eventually. I have decided to try to keep this under wraps for a few more months, get people used to the pickups, then reveal Negan. Put an ‘allies fall in love’ spin on it. In the meantime, I need everyone on rumor patrol. Okay?"

Everyone nodded except Eliza, who looked around and raised her hand. "Do you love him? Negan?"

Kate was momentarily taken aback before her jaw hardened and she let out a barking laugh. "That pompous bastard? Fuck no! I just think people will eat that story up."

Eliza nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"If there are no other questions, the rest of you can leave while the Valkyries stay, along with Easton and Adrian.

"Me?" Adrian, Eliza's younger and Easton's older brother, worked with Lib. Together with a few underlings, they functioned as Haven's, for lack of a better term, post-apocalyptic accountants. Butt whereas Lib's talents lay in keeping track of inventory, the flow of supplies, and the earning and spending of credits, Adrian's specialty was people. Who did what, where, and why.

Adrian knew everything there was to know about making people work effectively and where corners could be cut.

"Yes, you. We have some things to discuss that I think will need your input." Kate watched as the rest of her family left before continuing.

She picked up the pile of drawings and handed them to Easton. "During my stay at The Sanctuary, I made use of my time and committed the layout to memory as best I could. We need copies of this and I will add to it as I can. I want everyone to memorize this. Hopefully, we won't need to use this information but I don't want us caught with our fucking pants down either.

Easton's eyes widened as he continued to flip through the pages. "Walker pit? They have a hole filled with walkers?"

Kate nodded. "I think to replenish the walls. But they also use them for training and combat purposes. I experienced it firsthand."

Lib was taking notes and stopped, giving her pen a death grip. " You what?"

"I fought some walkers. For recreation..." Seeing the panicked expressions she changed words. "For exercise. Got to chat up some Saviors too..."

Kate was interrupted by an outburst of rebukes.

"How could you...!"

"That's insane what...!"

"Reckless!"

"You could have died...!"

Kate pounded a fist on the table. "Enough!" The voices stopped. "What I do on my time is my business. And I was never in any real danger." Kate looked at them smugly. "In fact, I want to make plans to build one ourselves.”

Lyssa shook her head. "That is a massive security risk."

"Not to mention people here won't stand for it." Tamara retorted. "Keeping the dead around... it's dangerous. Haven means safety."

"Complacency is death." Kate gritted her teeth. "I suffer from no delusions that the majority of people here can be fighters. But they will not be incapable of protecting themselves from human and walker threats. Not on my watch."

Kate stared, cold eyes getting her point across until Easton coughed. "I will...uh.. make it a priority to find a space outside the walls. A place where the noise won't attract more."

Kate relaxed. "Thank you." She clapped her hands, suddenly very upbeat. "Now, I have something else to show you."

Kate unfolded the map. "I had the opportunity to attend a dinner party and meeting with Negan and all of his lieutenants."

Kate proceeded to talk at length about all she had learned from Cole and Paula about the various high ranking Saviors and the areas they controlled. "And so, given the breadth of Savior territory, it would be prudent to continue building a good relationship with Cole at Mountain Top here. He spoke highly of you Lyssa. Take advantage of this." That the leader of the Valkyries blushed red was not lost on Kate. "I will continue to befriend the other lieutenants as I can. Any questions? Yes, Gill?"

"Let me get this straight. Negan went out of his way to introduce you to all of his top ranking officials and freely gave you enough information to create a map of his entire territory?" Gill asked, dumbfounded.

Kate shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "He was...showing me... showing Haven off. Our resources and power...to show how capable he is. But everyone just ended up being interested in us for our resources and power."

"What an idiot." Phoebe, usually silent, whispered, surprising everyone.

Kate raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Well, let's just say that maybe I have a better handle on tactful leadership than Negan does."

Adrian cleared his throat. “Again...why am I here? I have better things I could be doing, Kate.”

Kate pointed a finger at him. “You are here because you know people. You know where they should go and what they should do. And you know how to use our resources in the best possible way.”

Adrian smiled smugly. “Well...you aren’t wrong.”

Eliza and Easton rolled their eyes at their brother's cockiness.

Kate continued. “I need you, Easton, and Lyssa to come up with a small group of scouts to fill in the gaps on my map.”

“You want us...to create a group of spies?” Easton questioned, slowly.

“Yes, I suppose that is what I want you to do. A low key in and out sort of deal. Enough to get information but not draw attention. I’ll bet you anything, Negan has Mountain Top keeping an eye on us.” Kate paused. “I want to know what the outposts do and I want to know what they get from communities.”

“Why?” Lib asked.

“Because the best way to protect our standing with the Saviors is to make ourselves as indispensable as possible. Which brings me to the other reason I wanted Adrian here.” Kate leaned back and tapped a finger to her lips. “Given our living situation, at what point do we lose herd immunity?”

“Kate! No!” Eliza hissed, interrupting Adrian before he could speak. “We can’t give Negan our vaccinations and medications!”

“Yes. We can. I'm not blanket giving him medical supplies!  The outposts are going to submit their needs to Negan which he will pass along to us. We will decide what and how much we can afford to give up."

"Why? Why do this?" Eliza asked angrily.

Kate held up three fingers. "Three reasons. First, it's not just Haven rebuilding society. It's all living beings and it's in our best interest that everyone is as healthy as possible. And we have far more vaccines than we can possibly use before they expire. Two," Kate said, putting a finger down. "I'm buying good esteem and favor from the outposts giving them medicine. Maybe if something goes south they will remember that." Kate's face slipped into sadness and she sighed. "Finally, in the unfortunate and hopefully unlikely event that Negan takes over Haven someday, I want him to have a reason to keep him from torching this place and to keep people alive. That clarify some things?"

Kate's declaration was met with a silence that soon grew uncomfortable and overwhelming.

Eliza spoke, "I'll get you a list of what we have, what we can reasonably part with, and what supplies we need to continue producing."

Kate nodded. "Thank you. That's all I have for you and if there are no questions you all can go."

Kate stood and gathered up her map, handing The Sanctuary schematics to Lib to get copied. in her peripherals, Kate observed everyone silently leaving as she herself disappeared into her own quarters.

 _I need a fucking drink_. Kate poured vodka heavily into a large glass before opening the fridge to find anything to mix into it. Thankfully, the few orange trees scattered around Haven and the nearby neighborhoods were just starting to come into season and somebody had placed some freshly squeezed juice on the shelf. Sniffing it and taking a sip to check the flavor, Kate topped off her glass with the liquid. It was good. _But not as good as the store juice used to be._ She thought to herself.

When Kate used to think about surviving the end of the world, she knew that there would be things that she would miss. Luxuries like candy bars were long gone or inedible and that was to be expected. What Kate never expected was to miss having fruits and vegetables available year round. There was a plant biology lab and greenhouse in the building Kate called home but it was used to cultivate heirloom plants during the winter to ensure the people of Haven had enough vitamins in their diet. But one of these days they were going to find some banana seeds and Kate would devote space to them. She fucking missed bananas.

Wanting music but not the work of record albums, Kate dug into her bedside table drawer and removed a battered iPod. Plugging it into a set of speakers flanking the bed, Kate hit shuffle and wandered to the windows overlooking the cracked parking lots and some of the fields in the distance, drinking heavily from the glass. Out on the cracked pavement, someone butchered a deer carcass while someone fished in the pond they bred fish in. Life went on.

Kate was suddenly overcome with a sense of melancholy that had she felt without cause, in her younger days, would have have been a red flag that a bout of depression was coming. But she knew what the cause was. Part of it was Negan and part of it was her own guilt. Guilt at having to leave Haven. Guilt that she liked having time to herself. Guilt that life continued unperturbed by her absence. Guilt that she enjoyed being with Negan despite his incredibly mercurial attitude towards her and his behavior over the weekend.

Kate downed the rest of her drink and laid down, staring out the window watching shadows move across the floor, lost in thought as tears dripped down her face, listening to songs that brought her comfort as an angst-ridden teenager. Someone knocked on the door and opened it. Kate didn't bother to look. Only one person ever came in without announcing themselves or waiting for permission.

"Hi, Mommy," Kate said as she felt Evelyn sink into the mattress next to her.

“I can’t get one over on you.” Evelyn gave a throaty laugh, not unlike her daughter's. They laid in silence for several minutes. “So Negan seems like an interesting person. I can see why you are attracted to him. He is very...cheeky."

Kate snorted. “That is an understatement.”

There was another beat of silence before Evelyn spoke again, cautiously. “Are you still mad at me? For Cookie?"

"No." Came the muffled reply. "I never expected to be able to keep Negan a secret forever anyways," Kate said with a sigh.

"Honey look at me." Kate turned to her mother, who immediately took notice of her red puffy eyes. "Oh...my little bunny, tell me what happened." Evelyn used a childhood nickname and smoothed the hair away from Kate's face. All of the emotions Kate had been shoving down and trying to ignore came crashing through her defenses as Kate began to cry, recounting all the hurt from the last few days.

Evelyn listened to her daughter, hugging her close and stroking her hair as Kate’s story devolved into incoherent, heaving sobs. They laid there until Kate was all cried out and her sobs turned into shaky breathes and sniffles. “I wish I could do something,” Evelyn said, quietly.

“S’okay,” Kate mumbled. “This is enough.”

“Negan is an idiot, taking out his frustrations about Dwight on you.”

“I know.”

“And those bitches are mean because they are threatened by you.”

Kate gave a weak laugh. “Even in the end of the world, I can’t escape high school.”

Evelyn laughed softly. “Josie sounds like she can be a real friend to you. And it is a very smart idea to become friendly to Negan’s lieutenants.”

“You would like Simon. He acts very...fatherly...towards me.” Kate said, looking up at her mother with moist eyes.

It was Evelyn’s turn to snort. “Well, it is good to know that someone is looking out for you.”

“It is.” Kate sat up and wiped tears from her eyes, wincing. “I have a headache.”

Evelyn got up from the bed and got Kate a glass of water and some Advil. “Drink. Take these.”

“But a headache isn’t import....” Kate protested.

“No ‘but’s.’ Haven won’t suffer because you took some pills.” Evelyn interrupted. “Drink.” She stared at Kate until she complied.

Evelyn glanced at the clock. “You missed dinner.” She said, looking into Kate’s fridge. “Want me to make some grilled cheese?”

 Kate would never admit it, but she sometimes liked these moments in which she wasn’t the leader of Haven, but instead just her mother’s daughter. She nodded. "Thank God Kraft Singles outlived Twinkies in the apocalypse. Who would have guessed that?”

Evelyn laughed.

* * *

 

As spring began to hint at the coming summer, the next two months of tributes and visits to The Sanctuary went relatively smoothly, much to Kate’s relief. It appeared to Kate that her arguments with Negan had resonated with him. On her second monthly visit to The Sanctuary, she found that the side table holding her lamp and clock had been replaced by a gorgeous desk. A note from Negan, written in appalling chicken scratch, accompanied it. _For when you want to be busy._ It was during this visit that Negan gave Kate the list of the medical needs from the Sanctuary and the outposts. There was a lot of documentation, but the requests could be filled without causing stress on Haven. This also gave Kate a decent idea of how many children were counted among Negan’s people.

On her third visit, Kate once again found herself at the meeting of the lieutenants, this time as a respected equal, making friends with Paula and learning about the new community they now controlled. It was called Hilltop and it was run by a complete asshole named Gregory. They had little defensive resources so, in exchange for keeping the area clear of walkers, they were now giving half of their produce to the Saviors. “Gregory sounds like a terrible negotiator.” Kate had remarked to Paula, who laughed in return.

During her visits, Kate took the time to wander The Sanctuary and get to know the people who worked for points. She talked to the Saviors, spending time with Arat, Laura, and one of the lieutenants in charge of scavenging and training, Regina. She was a hard woman. You had to be to make it here.

Kate deepened her friendship with Josie, discovering that they shared a love for science fiction and were bored by the silly romance garbage Negan thought passed as literature. As a present, on her third trip, Kate brought Josie a stack of books from Haven, much to Josie’s delight. Josie confided to Kate that it was her that Negan had spent that awful night with and her motivations for saying yes to him. “I don’t want there to be secrets between us. You are the best person I have met in a while.” She had said, obviously nervous.

“Thank you, Josie. It means a lot to me to hear that. And thank you for stepping in. I’m not upset.” Kate had smiled.

When Kate wasn’t keeping busy working or endearing herself to Negan’s people, she was spending her time with Negan. Every night they had dinner together, sometimes in Kate’s room and sometimes in Negan’s, much to the annoyance to Tanya and Frankie. They talked about their stresses and annoyances at leading The Sanctuary and Haven. They talked about themselves, learning about each other’s likes and dislikes. And when they got tired of talking they were fucking.

Not constantly, but enough that Kate didn’t feel slighted when she heard Negan with one of his other wives after spending an afternoon with her. Kate had a high libido, but Negan’s appetites seemed to exceed hers. To his credit, he didn’t take his frustrations about the continued disappearance of Dwight, Sherry, and Amy on her emotionally on her again. Instead, he took it out on her in other ways. During a particularly memorable afternoon on her third visit, Negan had watched Kate training with Arat and Laura, practically stalking her back to her room, before tearing her sweaty clothes off and taking her against the bank of windows in Kate’s room in full view of the courtyard. It thrilled Kate to think that someone looking up would see her bouncing up and down on Negan and she came quickly. She didn’t mind this form of release. It was in these moments together that she got him to talk. As they lay on her floor in a tangle of limbs, Kate running her fingers through the hair on his chest, Negan told her about how frustrated he was Wade still hadn’t found the runaways.

“After all the fucking time and resources spent...Such a goddamn waste!” Negan swore.

“I would say to just give up and let them go...” Negan started to interrupt and Kate silenced him with a kiss. “But I know it is the principle of the thing now. Got to show people that shit won’t fly.”

Negan grinned against her mouth. “You are one smoking hot and fucking smart woman.”

It was this encounter that Kate thought of as she looked over the pile of paperwork on her desk at Haven. For several reasons, this time of the year was always difficult for Kate and very busy for the community. Many of the fruits and vegetables that would sustain Haven through the winter were coming into season, including a large portion of the corn they had planted. In addition to compiling the different groups of drugs and instructions being sent to each outpost for Simon, they had welcomed six newborns to proud parents and a rather large group of fifteen nomads from Pennsylvania had been found by Archangels and they wanted to join Haven. Being on the road for so long ensured that there were very large files awaiting Kate’s review.

Kate took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. _There is no way I can get all of this done before I go to The Sanctuary and I can’t take all of this with me.”_ Kate thought to herself. She grimaced, knowing what she had to do.

When Simon and Cole arrived, they were greeted personally by Kate. Simon frowned seeing her expression. “Something the matter, darling?”

Kate inhaled loudly. “I want to go to The Sanctuary, but I have way too much to get done here. I can’t leave for three days.”

Simon furrowed his eyebrows. “Negan is NOT going to be happy.”

“I know, I know. Maybe if you tell him I am really sorry about this and will miss him?” Kate said, giving an unconvincing smile. “I’m allowed to say no, after all.”

“Hmmm...” Simon murmured, unconvinced. “I’ll tell him. And pass along his response to Cole for you.”

“Thank you!” Kate spontaneously gave Simon a hug. The older man looked surprised. “Sorry...” Kate apologized, sheepishly.

Simon smiled through his bushy mustache. “It’s okay, kid.”

True to his word, Simon passed along Negan’s response to Cole who radioed Kate. “It doesn’t sound like Negan is too happy, Kate.”

“I didn’t expect him to be.” Kate scoffed.

“Says that you will owe him. Whatever that means. I frankly don’t want to know.”

Kate laughed. “You really don’t.”

Kate thought that was the end of it. She should have known better.

Looking back, there were a series of events that changed Kate and Negan’s relationship, pushing them closer and taking them to places they wouldn’t have imagined, though neither of them knew it at the time.

The radio on Kate’s desk squawked with Matt’s voice. “Uhhh...Kate...” He said nervously. “Negan is here.”

“Jesus Christ...” Kate swore to herself.

This was the first.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you all you were lucky (three months ago!) getting two chapters out of me so quickly. This is a transitional chapter and those are always the most difficult for me to write because there is a lot of places the narrative can take me. I try on and discard different ideas. I over think what I want to do going forward. This isn't my longest chapter by far but it took me a while what with the holidays. I know that the next chapter is likely going to be a very long one though! I can't promise you many things about this fic but I can promise you 1. That I am literally always working on it and 2. There will be no bullshit Carl deaths (even though we are quite a bit away from all that in this fic.) Hope you don't mind the slower pace! Much love XOXOXOXO


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